House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Mark Meadows (R-NC), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Government Relations, on Friday sent a letter to Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) slamming him for failing to hold Michael Cohen accountable for lying to Congress. Friday marked 100 days since Cummings said he'd hold Cohen accountable. And, not surprisingly, nothing has taken place.
"You waited to review Cohen's testimony before the House Permanent Selection Committee on Intelligence (HSPCI) to determine whether he lied before our Committee. How that HPSCI has released the testimony – following our request – we believe it does not change our earlier conclusions," the letter reads. "Indeed, teh HPSCI testimony only reveals new information that is unhelpful and unflattering to you: that Cohen has no independent evidence to support his accusations, and that you engaged in ex parte preparation sessions with Cohen to help him to appear more credible before our Committee."
Jordan and Meadows say they're disappointed in Cumming's failure to hold Cohen accountable.
"We can only assume that you worry that acknowledging Cohen's lies would undermine the investigations on which they are based and ultimately undercut your partisan attacks upon the President," the leader reads. "We hope that you will reconsider your decision, put the institutional interests of the Committee ahead of your political goals, and do what you promised to do."
The two Committee Republicans called out Cummings for basing Cohen's exoneration solely on his HPSCI testimony saying he'd never seek a pardon from President Trump despite statements from Cohen's attorneys, the multiple testimonies Cohen had before the HPSCI and the Mueller report saying otherwise.
"These sources provide ample support that Cohen directed his attorneys to seek a pardon from the President, contrary to his sworn statement," the letter reads.
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The letter included multiple instances Cohen's team admitted to exploring the possibility of a pardon, but Jordan and Meadows say Cummings failed to address Cohen's other lies to the Oversight Committee, like Cohen repeatedly denying wanting a job in the White House; his assertion that he "never defrauded any bank," although he pleaded guilt to bank fraud; and denying the fact that he started the @WomenForCohen Twitter account.
"You may consider this matter 'closed' because you want it to go away. But respectfully, you invited Michael Cohen before the Committee and you must live with the consequences," the letter says. "We warned you about the dangers of showcasing the testimony of a convicted liar. The stain of Cohen's testimony will continue to tarnish the Committee's reputation and that of your chairmanship until you accept the overwhelming evidence that he lied and act to hold him accountable."
Here's the full letter:
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