Trump Reportedly Directed Michael Cohen To Lie To Congress About Trump Tower 2016 Deal In Moscow

On Thursday, it was reported President Donald Trump ordered his former personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to lawmakers about plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 election.

According to BuzzFeed News, two federal investigators are probing the matter and House Democrats have also now started looking into this controversy.

“The allegation that the President of the United States may have suborned perjury before our committee in an effort to curtail the investigation and cover up his business dealings with Russia is among the most serious to date,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the House Intelligence Committee chairman, tweeted Thursday evening. “We will do what’s necessary to find out if it’s true,” he added, sharing a link to BuzzFeed’s article.

Cohen is set to testify before Congress on Feb. 7 about work he performed as Trump’s fixer. Top-ranking Democrats on the House Oversight Committee — like its chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) — have warned the president against influencing Cohen’s testimony, as this could be illegal.

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In November, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the 2016 Trump Tower deal in Moscow, which reportedly included offering Russia President Vladimir Putin a $50 million penthouse. This week, Cohen also admitted to rigging two online polls in favor of Trump in 2015 by paying the owner of a technology firm called Red Finch Solutions.

This also comes amid growing tension between the White House and Democratic lawmakers over the now record-length government shutdown, which entered its 28th day on Friday and has left 800,000 federal workers furloughed and/or without pay. Trump and Congress have been unable to reach a deal on illegal immigration and border security as the president has repeatedly insisted he demands $5.7 billion for the wall.

Meanwhile, Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to investigate Russian interference during the 2016 election, and potential collusion between Trump campaign officials and the Kremlin. Mueller, whose team was granted a six-month extension earlier this month, has labeled Trump as “Individual 1” in his inquiry.