Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican, asked the Justice Department on Tuesday to investigate whether Michael D. Cohen committed perjury in a deposition before a House committee in 2019.
Ms. Stefanik, the House Republican Conference chairwoman, noted discrepancies between that deposition and Mr. Cohen’s testimony in the unfolding New York civil trial of former President Donald Trump, whose fixer Mr. Cohen once was.
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Ms. Stefanik said Mr. Cohen has admitted to lying when he told members of Congress that he did not recall Mr. Trump ever directing him or former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to inflate the numbers in Mr. Trump’s personal financial statement.
But Mr. Cohen said something else last month while testifying in a lawsuit that accuses the Trump Organization of submitting false financial statements to gain better terms on loans and insurance.
“So, you lied under oath in February of 2019? Is that your testimony?” defense attorney Alina Habba asked Mr. Cohen in the Manhattan courtroom.
“Yes,” Mr. Cohen said.
Confronted with his 2019 testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Mr. Cohen clarified that Mr. Trump often spoke in “code” and insinuated he wanted the numbers inflated in his statements.
“He did not specifically state, ‘Michael, go inflate the numbers,’” Mr. Cohen testified. “Donald Trump speaks like a mob boss, and what he does is he tells you what he wants without specifically telling you.”
Mr. Trump and his legal team have pointed to inconsistencies in Mr. Cohen’s statements as they try to undermine New York Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud claims. They say Ms. James was overreliant on a Mr. Cohen and that he is not credible.
Ms. Stefanik said Mr. Garland had a duty to investigate whether Mr. Cohen misled Congress.
“That Mr. Cohen was willing to openly and brazenly state at trial that he lied to Congress on this specific issue is startling. His willingness to make such a statement alone should necessitate an investigation,” she wrote in a letter co-signed by Rep. Michael Turner, Ohio Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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