President Trump told attorney Michael Cohen to fully cooperate with Congress, the Mueller report says, contradicting a BuzzFeed report the president ordered him to lie.
“President instructed Cohen that he should cooperate because there was nothing there,” the report says, quoting Mr. Cohen’s interview with the FBI.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller brought a charge of perjury against Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former attorney, for testifying to Congress that talks with Moscow on hotel construction ended in January 2016. Talks actually continued until June.
The BuzzFeed story spurred wide speculation that Mr. Trump would be charged with encouraging perjury.
Drafts of Mr. Cohen’s testimony showed he on his own came up with the January date to make it look like the campaign was not focused on Russia.
Mr. Cohen is a witness against Mr. Trump in the state of New York’s investigation into the president’s finances.
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.
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