Sep 19, 2017

Senate Intel Committee cancels Trump lawyer interview

Cohen departs following the cancellation of his meeting with the Senate Intelligence panel on Capitol Hill. Photo: Andrew Harnik / AP

Michael Cohen, a close associate and former lawyer for President Trump's business, was set to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee today as part of the probe into election interference by Russia. But the committee's staff canceled the meeting this morning, per The Washington Post.

What happened today: Cohen had arrived with his attorney for the interview but left after about an hour since committee staff had informed him they didn't want to interview him. Committee chairman Richard Burr and vice chairman Mark Warner said in a statement that the committee broke the meeting off because Cohen broke an agreement not to release a public statement before the meeting. Cohen will be rescheduled for an open hearing.

Context: Former MI6 agent Christopher Steele alleged in the unverified Trump dossier that Cohen helped the Russian efforts by meeting with Kremlin associates in Prague. Cohen also was involved in discussions for building a Trump Tower in Moscow, and turned over emails relating to the discussions last month.

Key points from his prepared statement, via CNN:

"I have never engaged with, been paid by, paid for, or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack anyone or any organization" including the "Democratic Party computers."
He denied helping create fake news stories to amp up Trump's campaign.
He said he never saw anything — "not a hint of anything" — that showed Trump was involved in Russian interference in the election or "any form of Russian collusion."
Cohen said the dossier was "riddled with total falsehoods and intentionally salacious accusations."
He said he has never been to Prague or the Czech Republic.
About the Moscow Trump Tower exploration: "This was solely a real estate deal and nothing more."

Kicker: "You can oppose the President's points of view and his policies, but not raise false issues about the validity of his victory."

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 a.m. ET: 722,435 — Total deaths: 33,997 — Total recoveries: 151,991.
U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 1 a.m.. ET: 142,502 — Total deaths: 2,506 — Total recoveries: 4,856.
Federal government latest: President Trump says his administration will extend its "15 Days to Slow the Spread" guidelines until April 30.
Public health updates: Fauci says 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from virus.
State updates: Louisiana governor says state is on track to exceed ventilator capacity by end of this week — Cuomo says Trump's mandatory quarantine comments "panicked" some people into fleeing New York
World updates: Italy on Sunday reports 756 new deaths, bringing its total 10,779. Spain reports almost 840 dead, another new daily record that bring its total to over 6,500.
What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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