“BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate,” Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller’s office, said.

TRUMP ATTORNEY DISMISSES REPORT ALLEGING PRESIDENT TOLD COHEN TO LIE TO CONGRESS

The statement is remarkable in that Mueller’s team rarely issues statements in response to news stories. But BuzzFeed’s story sparked immense interest from Democrats, who called for renewed investigations and even suggested the allegations could be a basis for impeachment proceedings.

Buzzfeed’s Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith tweeted after the release of the statement Friday: “In response to the statement tonight from the Special Counsel’s spokesman: We stand by our reporting and the sources who informed it, and we urge the Special Counsel to make clear what he’s disputing.”

BuzzFeed PR@BuzzFeedPR

Our response to CNN’s — and all other reports — questioning the integrity of the reporters behind @BuzzFeedNews‘ latest bombshell investigation:

“Remember it was Buzzfeed that released the totally discredited ‘Dossier,’ paid for by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats (as opposition research), on which the entire Russian probe is based,” Trump late Friday night. “A very sad day for journalism, but a great day for our Country!”

In a story published Thursday, BuzzFeed cited two unnamed federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation on the matter who said Cohen acknowledged to Mueller’s office that he was instructed by Trump in 2017 to lie to Congress about the now-abandoned real estate deal to build a Trump Tower in Russia.

The report said Mueller’s office first learned of the directive from interviews with witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company email, text messages and documents.

The report, which was not been confirmed by Fox News, was immediately dismissed by President Trump’s legal team.

“Any suggestion – from any source – that the president counseled Michael Cohen to lie is categorically false. Michael Cohen is a convicted criminal and a liar,” Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said. “… Today’s claims are just more made-up lies born of Michael Cohen’s malice and desperation, in an effort to reduce his sentence.”

After the special counsel’s statement on Friday, Giuliani praised Mueller’s team “for correcting the BuzzFeed false story.”

“I ask the press to take heed that their hysterical desire to destroy this President has gone too far,” he wrote in a tweet. “They pursued this without critical analysis all day.”

Earlier Friday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., whose committee is already investigating the president and his ties to Russia, called the allegations in the report “the most serious to date.”

“The allegation that the president of the United States may have suborned perjury before our committee in an effort to curtail the investigation and cover up his business dealings with Russia is among the most serious to date,” Schiff said in a statement. “We will do what’s necessary to find out if it’s true.”

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said the House should begin to “establish a record” of whether Trump “committed high crimes,” repeatedly hinting on Twitter at the potential for impeachment proceedings.

“Based on the Buzzfeed report and numerous other articles showing @realDonaldTrump committed Obstruction of Justice and other possible felonies, it is time for the House Judiciary Committee to start holding hearings to establish a record of whether @POTUS committed high crimes,” Lieu tweeted.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, called for Trump to leave office or face impeachment if the report is accurate.

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“If the @BuzzFeed story is true, President Trump must resign or be impeached,” he said.

The BuzzFeed report claimed Trump directed Cohen to lie in his congressional testimony, though according to court documents and the statements Cohen made publicly, he has acknowledged that his actions were taken out of “loyalty” to the president.

In November, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the Trump real estate project in Russia as part of Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling and potential collusion with Trump campaign associates in the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen entered into a plea deal with the special counsel to cooperate on “any and all matters” deemed relevant. The maximum prison sentence for Cohen is five years, plus fines of up to $250,000.

In court in November, after entering his plea, Cohen acknowledged his work for Trump as counsel and adviser.

In a separate case brought by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws by helping orchestrate payments to former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels in exchange for their silence about alleged sexual encounters with the president years before he took office. Prosecutors and Cohen himself said the former Trump fixer orchestrated those payments at Trump’s direction.

Cohen is slated to appear for public testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Feb. 7.

Fox News’ Jake Gibson and Elizabeth Zwirz contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mueller-team-disputes-buzzfeed-report-claiming-trump-told-cohen-to-lie

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The post Trump Reacts To Cohen Bombshell: He’s ‘Lying To Reduce His Jail Time!’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

A top House Democratic lawmaker is vowing to look into new allegations that President Donald Trump directed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.BuzzFeed Newson Thursday evening reported that Cohen told special counsel Robert Mueller the president personally instructed him to lie to Congressional investigators in order to minimize links between Trump and his Moscow building project, citing two federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter. The report also alleged that Cohen was directed to give a false impression that the project had ended before it actually did.NBC News has not independently confirmed this report.Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence committee, called the allegation the “most serious to date” Thursday evening and said that his committee would look into the matter.

“The allegation that the President of the United States may have suborned perjury before our committee in an effort to curtail the investigation and cover up his business dealings with Russia is among the most serious to date,” Schiff said in a tweet. “We will do what’s necessary to find out if it’s true.”Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer said in a statement to NBC News on Friday that, “If you believe Cohen I can get you a great deal on the Brooklyn Bridge.”BuzzFeed News reported that the special counsel’s office learned about Trump directing Cohen to lie through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization. The special counsel also obtained internal company emails, text messages and other documents, the report said.Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty in federal court in November to a single count of making false statements to Congress about the project. He admitted to making several significant lies to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last year about Trump’s Moscow project, including testimony that the project had ended in January 2016 because of “business reasons.”Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” sidestepped questions about whether the allegation would lead to impeachment, but said “this is as serious as it gets.””This is more evidence that the president has violated his oath of office,” he said. “If he told Michael Cohen to lie Congress, if he suborned perjury, this is as serious as it gets.”Other Democratic lawmakers pounced on the report, with some calling for Trump’s impeachment.”If the @BuzzFeed story is true, President Trump must resign or be impeached,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, tweeted Thursday evening.Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said on Thursday that Mueller should not end his Russian investigation and to also brief Congress on its progress.”Listen, if Mueller does have multiple sources confirming Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress, then we need to know this ASAP. Mueller shouldn’t end his inquiry, but it’s about time for him to show Congress his cards before it’s too late for us to act,” he said.”If the President directed Cohen to lie to Congress, that is obstruction of justice. Period. Full stop,” Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, said in a tweet on Thursday.

Source: https://www.euronews.com/2019/01/18/dems-vow-action-after-report-trump-directed-cohen-lie-about-n960156?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3a+euronews%2fen%2fnews+(euronews+-+news+-+en)

The post Dems vow action after report Trump directed Cohen to lie about Russia dealings first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.