President Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen testified Wednesday to Congress that his former employer is a certified “con man,” “racist” and “cheat,” all while shamefully admitting that his “loyalty” and “ambition” caused him to overlook Trump’s ways.
Cohen’s powerful opening statement included several documents to support his accusations against Trump.
“I recognize that some of you may doubt and attack me on my credibility,” Cohen said. “It is for this reason that I have incorporated into this opening statement documents that are irrefutable, and demonstrate that the information you will hear is accurate and truthful.
“Never in a million years did I imagine, when I accepted a job in 2007 to work for Donald Trump, that he would one day run for president, launch a campaign on a platform of hate and intolerance, and actually win," Cohen said. "I regret the day I said ‘yes’ to Mr. Trump. I regret all the help and support I gave him along the way."
Last November, Cohen
"I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a con man. He is a cheat,” he said.
The attorney claimed the president reimbursed him for paying adult film star Stormy Daniels hush money to cover up their affair. He was also instructed to lie to first lady Melania Trump about the extramarital tryst.
“Lying to the first lady is one of my biggest regrets," Cohen said. "She is a kind, good person. I respect her greatly—and she did not deserve that.”
Cohen also stated unequivocally that, “Mr. Trump is racist,” saying 45 is even more bigoted than some already believe.
“He once asked me if I could name a country run by a Black person that wasn't a ‘sh*thole.’ This was when Barack Obama was president of the United States,” Cohen testified.
“While we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that only Black people could live that way. And he told me that Black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid. And yet I continued to work for him,” he continued.
Cohen also claimed he sent threatening letters, under Trump’s direction, to the president’s former high school and colleges to never release his grades or SAT scores.
“I'm giving the committee today copies of a letter I sent at Mr. Trump's direction threatening these schools with civil and criminal actions if Mr. Trump's grades or SAT scores were ever disclosed without his permission. These are Exhibit 6.
“The irony wasn't lost on me at the time that Mr. Trump in 2011 had strongly criticized President Obama for not releasing his grades. As you can see in Exhibit 7, Mr. Trump declared ‘Let him show his records’ after calling President Obama ‘a terrible student.’
Read Cohen’s full opening statement on CNN and watch his testimony below.
