Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tore into former Trump attorney Michael Cohen during an explosive House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing Wednesday, reciting his crimes and attempting to cast doubt on the truthfulness of his testimony.
Jordan, a fierce ally of President Trump and the top Republican on the Oversight panel, noted that federal prosecutors had declared in court filings that Cohen “did crimes that were marked by a pattern of deception [that] permeated his professional life.” Jordan also suggested Cohen had only turned on the president because he didn’t get a job in the White House.
The Ohio Republican proceeded to grill Cohen on his false statements to Congress, failure to report income to the IRS and false statements he made to a bank — all of which the former Trump lawyer pleaded guilty to in federal court.{mosads}
As Jordan listed off Cohen’s criminal conduct, he repeatedly asked, “Was that done to protect the president?”
“No, it was not,” Cohen repeatedly answered.
Jordan also highlighted a Twitter account called “Women for Cohen” that a firm working for Cohen created during the 2016 campaign to raise his profile, which The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
“Was that done to protect the president?” Jordan asked.
“I didn’t set that up,” Cohen answered, noting that a woman working for the firm RedFinch Solutions did.
“We were having fun during a stressful time,” Cohen said.
Jordan also questioned why Cohen continued to work for Trump for a decade, despite witnessing the conduct he described.
The GOP lawmaker suggested Cohen was only testifying against Trump this week because he has an ax to grind with his former boss.
“You wanted to work for the White House, but you didn’t get brought to the dance,” Jordan asserted.
“I didn’t want to go to the White House,” Cohen fired back.
Cohen said he was “offered jobs” but declined them.
Jordan compared Cohen to former FBI Director James Comey and Andrew McCabe, Comey’s one-time deputy. He argued Cohen was motivated by selfish behavior to testify against his former employer.