Democrat Adam Schiff, Staffers Met With Michael Cohen for 10 Hours Prior to Hearing on Trump
Rusty Weiss
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Multiple sources claim Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and his staff met for over 10 hours with President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen prior to his testimony before Congress.
Fox News reports that the staffers spoke with Cohen about a wide range of topics, many which ended up as a line of questioning by Democrats on the committee.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) asked Cohen during the hearing if he had met with anyone on the committee about his testimony.
“Did you or anyone else on your team cooperate with the Democratic Party in preparing for this hearing?” Hice asked.
“We’ve spoken to the party,” Cohen responded.
Following Jordan’s inquiries, Cohen admitted that he had spoken with Schiff (D-CA) “about topics that were going to be raised at the upcoming hearing.”
New Questions Raised
Now, Republicans want to know if these meetings amounted to coaching a witness.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) sent a letter to Cohen’s legal team requesting confirmation of his meetings “with Democratic Members or Democratic staff” on various committees, along with names, dates, and locations of those meetings.
Breaking #FoxNews Alert : Michael Cohen met extensively with Democratic Intel Committee Chairman Adam Schiff before public testimony: sources
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) March 8, 2019
“These questions are important for the public to understand whether or not they were watching witness testimony, a public hearing, or well-rehearsed theater,” Turner wrote.
“Clearly, there will be questions as to whether or not such contacts, if they occurred, constitute witness tampering, obstruction of justice, or collusion, collaboration, and cooperation between the House Democratic majority, their staff, and you,” he stated in a letter sent to Cohen during his second day of testimony last week.
Democrats Claim It’s Perfectly Acceptable
House Intelligence Committee spokesman, Patrick Boland, dismissed Republican outrage over possible witness tampering by insisting meetings like that with Cohen are typical practice.
“Despite this professed outrage by Republicans, it’s completely appropriate to conduct proffer sessions and allow witnesses to review their prior testimony before the Committee interviews them,” Boland claimed. “Such sessions are a routine part of every serious investigation around the country, including congressional investigations.”
Schiff, during an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” suggested his contact with Cohen served more as consolation for the concerned lawyer.
“The extent of my contact was just inviting him to testify and also trying to allay his concerns about the president’s threats against him and his family,” he said.
“Yea, 10 hours to discuss logistics,” Donald Trump Jr. scoffed on social media. “I’m sure he wasn’t coached by Schiff.”
He added, it’d “be nice [if] others in MSM [mainstream media] … finally called this crap out.”