Cohen arrive­d in Congre­ss early for the hearin­g, appear­ing relaxe­d and confid­ent, surrou­nded by Capito­l police­WASHINGTON DC: Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen called the president a conman, a cheat and a racist in explosive testimony prepared for a hearing in Congress Wednesday. He also said Trump directed negotiations for a Trump Tower in Moscow through the 2016 election campaign even while denying any business ties with the Russians. On Thursday he will testify in a closed session at the House Intelligence Committee, also investigating Russian election interference, as well as Trump’s business relations with Russians. Addressing a key focus of the federal and congressional investigations into Russian meddling, Cohen said he did not have “direct evidence” of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. He said he believes that Trump was informed ahead of time about a meeting between his campaign and a Russian lawyer peddling “dirt” on Trump’s election rival Hillary Clinton.

Source: The Express Tribune February 27, 2019 15:56 UTC