President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen told CNN on Sunday that he expects to appear this Tuesday before the Senate intelligence committee.
It is expected that the committee staff will interview Cohen, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Cohen is not expected to be under oath during the appearance, but all witnesses appearing before congressional committees are required to tell the truth or potentially face criminal charges.
Cohen’s appearance before the committee is also voluntary, a source with direct knowledge of the process told CNN.
Cohen told CNN in May that he was declining invitations to testify from the House and Senate intelligence committees, which are pursuing investigations into Russia’s alleged efforts to influence last year’s election and any potential collusion by the Trump campaign. But he said at the time that he would “gladly” comply with a subpoena compelling his testimony and that he had nothing to hide.
Cohen is a longtime associate of the President, playing a prominent role in his business empire and supporting his presidential campaign.
BuzzFeed News first reported Cohen would speak to the Senate panel Tuesday.
Cohen’s expected appearance Tuesday would follow congressional efforts to speak with or take testimony from other key figures in Trump’s presidential bid.
Earlier this month, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., spoke at length with Senate judiciary committee staff, and the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the committee’s leadership plans to call him in for public testimony.
Feinstein also told CNN’s Dana Bash that her panel would subpoena former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort should Manafort refuse a request to appear before the committee.
Cohen said in June that he had hired a lawyer to deal with the ongoing investigations relating to alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign.
Cohen drew further scrutiny in recent weeks when it came to light that he reached out to the Russian government about a potential Trump Tower in Moscow while Trump’s campaign for the presidency was well underway. Cohen said he had three conversations with Trump about the proposal and abandoned the idea after he lost confidence in it.
Cohen was subpoenaed by the House intelligence committee, and his lawyer provided documents to that panel for its Russia investigation.
