In the News

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, released the following statement in advance of today’s hearing with Michael Cohen, former Attorney to President Donald J. Trump:


For more than a decade, Michael Cohen worked for Donald Trump as a self-described “fixer.” According to Mr. Cohen his role in the Trump orbit was: “Anything that he needs to be done, any issues that concern him, I handle.” What issues did he handle? Real estate negotiations from Fresno, California to the Republic of Georgia, responding to negative press stories of Mr. Trump, taking on the role of informal advisor and surrogate for Donald Trump’s campaign, and arranging hush-money payments to an adult-film actress who said that she had an affair with the future president – or as Trump puts it, “this crazy Stormy Daniels deal.”

When it came to Donald Trump, there were no matters too big or small for Michael Cohen to get involved in. Now, we also know that there were no matters too illegal. On August 21, 2018, Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges in the Southern District of New York, which included two campaign finance violations for payments during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence women alleging extramarital affairs with then-candidate Trump. Months later, on November 29, 2018, Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty in the Special Counsel’s investigation to lying to Congress when he insisted that Trump was not pursuing plans to build a Trump Towner in Moscow after January 2016. It is clear that in both of these cases, Michael Cohen violated federal laws on behalf of Donald Trump.

Michael Cohen is not the only individual with connections to President Trump to have pleaded guilty to committing crimes. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has resulted in indictments or guilty pleas from six staffers and advisors, including the former campaign chair (Paul Manafort), deputy campaign chair(Rick Gates), campaign foreign policy advisor (George Papadopoulos), national security advisor (Michael Flynn), personal lawyer (Michael Cohen), and longtime advisor (Roger Stone).

The 2016 presidential campaign was not the only legally and ethically dubious enterprise headed by President Trump. It has been widely documented that nearly every business or project, undertaken by President Trump has run into legal issues.

In December, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, billed as the charitable arm of the president’s financial empire, agreed to dissolve and give away its remaining assets as part of an ongoing investigation and lawsuit by the New York Attorney General. The Foundation was accused by the New York Attorney general of “functioning as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump’s business and political interests,” and of engaging in “a shocking pattern of illegality.”

Last February, a federal court approved a $25 million settlement with students who said they were duped by Donald Trump and his now-defunct Trump University, which promised to teach them the secrets of success in the real estate industry.

Despite railing against illegal immigration and continuing to make false statements about how much illegal immigration costs the country, the Washington Post and New York Times recently revealed that the Trump National Golf Clubs in Westchester County, New York and Bedminster, New Jersey employed undocumented immigrants from Latin America. Additionally, the New Jersey state Attorney General’s Office is investigating claims of harassment and immigration fraud at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, following claims of abuse by several housekeepers.

As President of the United States, Trump has only continued to push legal and ethical boundaries. Despite advice from the Office of Government Ethics that he divest from his businesses, President Trump chose to place his assets in a revocable trust managed by his adult sons for his personal benefit. Ethics lawyers have criticized this arrangement because it created the potential for conflicts of interest. By refusing to divest himself from the Trump Organization, the President is continuing to profit off the Presidency through business at his properties from foreign governments, lobbyists and corporations, and political action committees. President Trump could be violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, but he does not seem to care, because “America First” does not apply to his personal and business dealings.

President Trump has surrounded himself with admitted criminals. His businesses, his foundation, and his presidential campaign have repeatedly violated laws to enrich their sole beneficiary: Donald J. Trump. From the evidence before us, it is difficult not to conclude that much of the Trump organization has been nothing more than a criminal enterprise.

The press has reported that Michael Cohen plans to offer documents to the Committee at today’s hearing to show that the President has committed a crime since taking office. I welcome Mr. Cohen’s testimony, which I hope sheds light on the President’s compliance with financial disclosure requirements, campaign laws, and tax laws; potentially fraudulent or inappropriate practices by the Trump Foundation; the President’s debts and payments relating to efforts to influence the 2016 election; and the President’s shady business practices.