In Letter To Cummings, Cohen Lawyer Says He ‘Could Have Been Clearer’ On Pardon Language

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, arrives for a closed hearing before the House Intelligence Committee at the U.S. Capitol March 6, 2019 in Washington, DC... WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, arrives for a closed hearing before the House Intelligence Committee at the U.S. Capitol March 6, 2019 in Washington, DC. Cohen returned to the committee for a second day of testimony following a first appearance less than a week ago. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Michael Cohen is standing by his sworn testimony — that he never personally asked President Trump for a pardon — but his lawyer admitted in a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) that he “could have been clearer” about what he meant.

“In retrospect, while the sentence could have been clearer regarding the time frames, the sentence is true and Mr. Cohen stands by his statement,” Michael Monico, Cohen’s attorney wrote in the letter shared with TPM.

After Cohen’s testimony, reports surfaced that Cohen had actually asked Trump’s legal team about a potential pardon through a representative last year. There are contradictory reports on when the request came. The Washington Post reported the request was made before Cohen’s house, hotel and office were raided by the FBI in April 2018, but The Wall Street Journal reported it took place after the raid occurred.

Read the letter below:

Latest News
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: