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FMichael Cohen, Trump's lawyer and advisor, is scheduled to appear before three congressional committees this week before heading to jail to serve a sentence for tax evasion and lying in Congress. Tuesday, Cohen will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee. On Wednesday, he will appear before the House Oversight Committee. And on Thursday, he will testify before the House Intelligence Committee.
It would be a great service if Cohen's appearances helped to increase the amount of public information about Trump-Russia's fury. But even though Cohen is a key figure in the field – his name is mentioned 24 times in Trump's record – the auditions seem designed for prevent the public to learn something new about the issue of Russia.
First, two of the three hearings will be held in secret. The Senate and House Intelligence Committees plan to interview Cohen in camera. These are the audiences that will plunge into Russia. The public hearing, under the control of the House, is specially designed not to address the issue of Russia.
There are good reasons for all questions to be public. Cohen is not a government official and has no classified information to share. His 24 mentions in the file have been accessible to the public for two years. His belief of having lied to Congress – especially his falsity about the timing of the Trump Tower talks in Moscow – is also public. His own business is over and he will soon be behind bars.
In addition, Cohen has already answered questions from the House's Intelligence Committee and all members, Democrats and Republicans, have voted in favor of publishing these responses. "There is no reason to prevent him from testifying publicly since he had previously spoken to us in an unclassified setting, and the Democrats supported our motion at the last convention to publish our transcripts." Interviews, "said Devin Nunes, former member of the Intelligence Committee, chairman of the committee. (Cohen's transcript has still not been made public.GOP lawmakers have stated that the intelligence community was dragging on its feet during a routine review before publication.)
Some might argue that the investigation into Trump-Russia's special lawyer, Robert Mueller, has not been closed yet – although reports will soon be published – Cohen should not speak publicly about an ongoing investigation . But the fact is that on February 6, the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, announced a new investigation into Russia which, if carried out, covered much of the same ground as Mueller. This means that what Cohen has to say about the Russia affair is currently the subject of a House investigation – the Schiff Inquiry – and that the House must carry out the public inquiry.
Instead, Schiff will keep Cohen's answers secret.
At the meeting of the monitoring committee, President Elijah Cummings, chairman, said that the hearing would not concern Russia. "The public hearings of the Oversight Committee will not include matters relating to Intelligence Committee investigations into the efforts of Russia and other foreign entities to influence the US political process during and since the elections. 2016 US elections, "wrote Cummings on February 20th. Still according to Cummings, "the threat of counterintelligence that stems from any link or coordination between US citizens and the Russian government, including any financial or other compromise or leverage that foreign actors may have on Donald Trump, his family, his business interests, or his associates. "
That's just about all the history of Russia, and it will not be told in the Cummings hearing room. "Cohen's hearings are designed to preserve the story of collusion with Russia by keeping the main stories hidden," Republican Representative Mark Meadows said in an exchange of text.
What are going to talk about the Cohen public hearings? After consulting with the Department of Justice and Schiff, Cummings published a list of topics that could be damaging or embarrassing for the president, but would reveal little or nothing to the allegation that the Trump campaign and Russia would have conspired to set the 2016 election. Among the approved topics: Stormy Daniels payments; Trump's compliance with campaign finance laws; Trump's compliance with tax laws; Trump's "business practices"; the Trump International Hotel in Washington; "the accuracy of the president's public statements"; potential fraud by the Trump Foundation, and more.
Of course, Cummings is the chair of the committee and he can choose any subject. And Congress can investigate the president's trade relations as much as he wishes. But the combination of Cummings' "Everything But Russia" subject list and Schiff's Secret means that the only chance the audience hears of Cohen will not touch on the topic that dominated the Trump presidency and American politics during more than two years.
The Republicans of the Oversight Committee are the only people who could get on with the job. They are free to ignore Cummings' directive and ask questions about Russia. Cohen has long denied the claims of key files, but what can he add today? What about the infamous Trump Tower meeting? Trump tower in Moscow, it matters? Any other questions regarding Russia?
"We are going to ask what we want to ask," a Republican committee said Monday night.
Cohen might not answer questions, and the president could take sides with Cohen, but Republicans could at least remind viewers that Democrats who run the House, after continuously speaking to Russia for two years, no longer want to talk publicly about the subject. even with a star witness sitting in front of them.
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