Trump’s lawyer to publicly testify in Senate next month
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s lawyer will return to Capitol Hill for a public hearing next month after the Senate intelligence committee abruptly cancelled a closed-door staff interview Tuesday morning.
Committee leaders said they called off the interview after Michael Cohen sent a public opening statement to the media just as the meeting was about to start. Senate intelligence committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., and the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, issued a sharp statement saying the panel had asked Cohen to “refrain from public comment” and that they would request he return — this time for a public hearing.
“We declined to move forward with today’s interview and will reschedule Mr. Cohen’s appearance before the committee in open session at a date in the near future,” Burr and Warner said in the statement. “The committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate.”
Later in the day, the committee scheduled the public hearing for Oct. 25. Cohen’s lawyer, Stephen Ryan, said Cohen had accepted the invitation.