Michael Cohen's House Oversight Committee Hearing 02/27/2019

[AmazonGrace]

Cohen is assisting in several investigations and might expect some reduction in his sentence if SDNY thinks he's useful enough. (this is a good thing for us but discredits him in the eyes of Republicans.)

However this hearing isn't going to help him in that regard.

Meadows attacking him about some form that he didn't mention foreign companies in.

Meadows attacking him about the delay in submitting his statement and asking if John Dean told him to. He's never spoken with John Dean.

Somebody asking about Russian mobster Felix Sater.

Cohen saying Trump lied about not knowing him.

He had an office in the same floor as Trump and Cohen took it when he left.

Sater didn't pay rent for his office.

https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1100817887097425921

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[AmazonGrace]

Most of the highlights are in this thread if you're reading later.

 

40 people wrote statements in his defense for the sentencing.
He's laying it a bit thick about this great friend thingy.

Meadows lied about the form? He said it talks about any foreign entities but Katie Porter says it refers to governmental entities.

somebody ask him about Prague

[Cartmann99]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

Cohen doesn't remember exactly which edits were made in the document without reviewing it

Sarbanes speaks so slow and soft.

Edited February 27, 2019 by AmazonGrace

[faraway]

4 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

I had one wish. ?

[AmazonGrace]

 

Higgins again asking about the boxes and wanting them to be seized by investigators. (I got the impression earlier that investigators had them and returned them.)

Higgins has never seen Cohen on TV and trying to make him jealous: "Trump has had other attorneys"

In fact Higgins never knew who Cohen is until today.

Dum dum dum.

[formergothardite]

4 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

Higgins has never seen Cohen on TV 

That was the stupidest thing ever. 

The GOP is showing how desperate they are. 

[AmazonGrace]

 

Trump's assistant knew about the call with Roger Stone.

Why are these GOP people worried that Cohen would run for office? He's a felon, wouldn't that be a bit of a handicap.

[Cartmann99]

 

[AmazonGrace]

Higgins trying to guilt Cohen about poor banks suffering but he's current on all his loans.

He's never been to Prague.

There are rumors about some tape in which Trump hit Melania but Cohen doesn't know anything about such a tape. He doesn't know about a love child. But AMI paid off someone about a love child that doesn't exist.

Speier asking how many times he's been asked to threaten or intimidate someone on behalf of Trump. More than 500 times.

Cohen isn't sure who paid the TRump university settlement.

Recess for a vote.

But first Mrs Miller who is very disappointed because it's political theater to impeach Trump and wasting Congress time to talk with a felon.

"How can we believe anything you say? We can't.  I am appalled. We could be focusing on issues such as border security or neonatal executions."

[FullOfGravy]

15 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

In fact Higgins never knew who Cohen is until today.

Even if Cohen had never appeared in public until today, would it not make sense for a member of a Congressional committee to at least look up a major witness prior to his testimony?  Higgins basically just called himself lazy and incompetent.  Much like his fearless leader.

Overall, my impression of Cohen is of someone I wouldn't trust as far as my 93-year-old grandmother could throw him, unless he had a really good, self-serving reason to tell the truth.  Which he does.

 

[AmazonGrace]

Miller is a worse weasel than Jordan or Meadows. 

More about book deals. He was pitching a book when he was at RNC.

[Cartmann99]

I zoned out while Miller from West Virginia was talking, but I'm 1000% sure that my Bingo card is now full, so I'm claiming the case of Pork-n-Beans that was today's prize for Wingnut Bingo.

[AmazonGrace]

Armstrong guilt tripping him about attorney client privilege and tapes and saying he would turn them over

Cohen saying he's trying to cooperate.

(Damned if he does damned if he doesn't)

Did I just hear him say someone else on those tapes is also a subject of an ongoin ginvestigation?

yeah someone else heard it too

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

DeSaulnier asking about manipulation of online polls.

Steube complaining that Cohen has lied. Yes we know.

 

[formergothardite]

40 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

He's a felon, wouldn't that be a bit of a handicap.

Not if he was running as a republican! 

My impression is that Cohen is a slime ball who deserves longer jail time, but he is being honest because it is currently in his best interest to tell the truth. He gets nothing from lying about Trump no matter what the GOP is trying to say. He could have shown up with video evidence of Trump committing a crime and the republicans wouldn't have ignored it to harp on how he can't be trusted. 

[AmazonGrace]

Brenda Lawrence saying using a token black person as a prop is disgusting.

[AmazonGrace]

Cohen talking about the threats and the fear he's felt.

Roy harping that Cohen has lied. Yes we know.

Roy using this hearing to talk about immigrant murders.

[Cartmann99]

I don't know how much more of the sanctimonious jackass parade I can take today.   

[AmazonGrace]

Roy told his wife not to watch because this is such a waste of time and American people don't want to know this stuff. They want immigrants horsewhipped.

Plaskett saying that Democrats also want to focus on issues but they can multitask.

Plaskett thinks Gaetz should be referred to criminal prosecution

A recess for an hour.

5 dems left, eg. AOC

[Cartmann99]

We're going into recess of about an hour, so you have time to hit the liquor store before we reconvene.