How House Democrats Reacted To Buzzfeed’s Bombshell Report

Buzzfeed's report claiming Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress has some Democrats claiming it could be impeachable evidence of obstruction of justice.
Donald Trump, Tevfik Arif, Felix Sater attend the Trump Soho Launch Party in New York on September 19, 2007 (Mark Von Holden/WireImage). Michael Cohen Crop (AP).

Donald Trump, Tevfik Arif, Felix Sater attend the Trump Soho Launch Party in New York on September 19, 2007 (Mark Von Holden/WireImage). Michael Cohen Crop (AP).

Updated January 19, 2019: Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office released a rare statement disputing BuzzFeed’s story.

A bombshell report from BuzzFeed News sent shockwaves through the political world late Thursday night. Sources familiar with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation claim that President Trump directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about the timeline of the Trump Tower Moscow Project he worked on with Felix Sater. Cohen also updated Donald Trump on his efforts to set up a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and kept Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in the loop every step of the Moscow Project. Backing up this claim is the testimony of Michael Cohen himself who has been cooperating with the Special Counsel’s Office as well as agreeing to testify publicly before Congress in early February. In addition files, emails and texts recovered during the raid of Cohen’s office corroborate this claim, according to BuzzFeed’s sources.

For many following the investigation, President Trump suborning perjury of his “fixer’s” Congressional testimony will not come as much of a surprise, but claims of hard proof do help this recent story rise above the previous reporting in this vein. This comes as President Trump is already plagued by numerous investigations, including one that already implicated him in two campaign finance felonies. Perhaps just as notably, a difference in the control of the US House of Representatives and its various committees makes this new development even more of an inflection point.

With Democrats now having the ability to conduct oversight inquiries into President Trump’s apparent and allegedly criminal behavior, Paul Ryan and House Republicans are no longer able to shield Trump from the consequences of his actions. Some argue Democrats don’t need to wait for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, and have enough to begin impeachment investigations in the House now. House Democrats are looking to handle this matter with the seriousness and gravity it deserves. Some see this as clear evidence of obstruction of justice.

Given the fact the House Judiciary Committee has the power to start the process of impeachment and the newly Democratically controlled committees have the power to launch investigations, subpoena witnesses, and compel testimony, here’s a look at how House Democrats reacted to Buzzfeed’s reporting.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY-10)

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA-23)

House Judiciary Committee Member David Cicilline ‏(D-RI-1)

House Judiciary Committee Member Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)

House Intelligence Committee Member Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15)

House Intelligence Committee Member Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20)

Rantt Media Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Baba contributed to this report.

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News // Donald Trump / House Democrats / Impeachment / Michael Cohen / Robert Mueller / Russia