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Michael Cohen to testify before House panel on Feb. 27

February 20, 2019 at 8:21 p.m. EST
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal attorney, will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 27. (Video: Reuters)

Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal attorney, will testify before the House Oversight Committee next week, the panel announced Wednesday night.

Cohen will testify at 10 a.m. on Feb. 27, the committee’s chairman, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), said in a statement.

“I am pleased to announce that Michael Cohen’s public testimony before the Oversight Committee is back on, despite efforts by some to intimidate his family members and prevent him from appearing,” Cummings said. “Congress has an obligation under the Constitution to conduct independent and robust oversight of the Executive Branch, and this hearing is one step in that process.”

Cohen had originally been scheduled to testify before the committee on Feb. 7. But that appearance was postponed, with Cohen’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, citing unspecified “threats” against Cohen from the president and his attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Cohen pleaded guilty last year to multiple crimes, including lying to Congress and arranging hush-money payments to women who had alleged affairs with Trump. His three-year prison term had been set to begin on March 6, but a judge on Wednesday approved Cohen’s request for a two-month delay due to shoulder surgery and his preparations for this month’s testimony before Congress.

“The schedule has now been set,” Cohen said in a tweet Wednesday night. “Looking forward to the #American people hearing my story in my voice!”

Davis said Wednesday night on Twitter night that Cohen would speak about his experience working as Trump’s fixer.

“Despite @RealDonaldTrump attacks against his family, Mr. Cohen will not be deterred, will speak about his decade long experiences working for Mr. Trump, his own mistakes and decision to put family and country first,” Davis said, tagging the president’s Twitter handle.

The timing of the hearing means that Trump probably will not be in Washington — or even in the United States — when Cohen testifies. Trump is traveling to Hanoi for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Feb. 27 and 28.

Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.