SPECIAL EDITION: Michael Cohen Hearing

Wednesday was a historic day in the U.S. House of Representatives when Michael Cohen, the President's former personal attorney, testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee in a public hearing about the President's alleged criminal activity. Sitting in the room, as a member of the Oversight Committee, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to other historic Congressional hearings, like the Watergate investigation when White House Counsel John Dean told the world about President Nixon's crimes.

In this special edition issue of the DeSaulnier Digest, you will find links to Mr. Cohen's testimony, some highlights, and my reactions. One thing is for sure, the allegations Mr. Cohen made and the evidence he presented make the much-awaited Mueller report even more important.

Sincerely,

Mark DeSaulnier
Member of Congress

QUESTIONING MICHAEL COHEN

During the Oversight hearing, Mark questioned Michael Cohen about Donald Trump's plans to travel to Russia in connection to the construction of a Trump Tower in Moscow and about how Donald Trump tasked Michael Cohen with orchestrating the rigging of online polls in favor of Donald Trump. Click the image below to watch.

TWITTER #ICYMI

Mark shares a personal story with ABC7 during an interview about the Cohen Hearing

Mark's question of Cohen sparks PERDITION to become a Merriam-Webster word of the week

What is at stake for those who continue to follow President Trump?

Mark provides an at length take on the Cohen hearing to Chip Franklin with KGO radio

IN THE NEWS

Mark joined KTVU, CNN, and ABC7 to discuss the Cohen testimony. Click each of the images below to watch the interviews.

Mark also spoke with the Mercury News about the hearing. Click the image below to read the full article.

As he sat 10 feet from Cohen asking questions, East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier couldn't help thinking back to his college days watching the Watergate hearings on TV, he said in an interview.

"This is what, I think, in history will be considered a very similar moment," DeSaulnier said. "It was a very important day for democracy."

FACEBOOK LIVE TOWN HALL

Following the hearing, Congressman DeSaulnier held a Facebook Live Town Hall where he took constituent questions on the hearing, provided an update on the latest news, and shared his reaction to the day's events. To watch the live town hall, click the image below.

HEARING HIGHLIGHTS

During the hearing, Mr. Cohen made clear that the President is willing to do anything to make money and hold on to power, going into detail about how President Trump inflates and deflates his personal worth in order to reduce his tax burden, and concisely explaining how the President reimbursed him for hush money payments in likely violation of campaign finance laws. One of the most explosive moments was the revelation that the federal attorneys in the Southern District of New York may be in the process of an investigation into the President and his associates. This hearing was groundbreaking and only the beginning of what are sure to be more investigations and Congressional hearings into the President's dealings.

• Michael Cohen's Written Testimony
• Video of the Full Hearing
  (hearing begins at 2:14:35)

WHAT'S NEXT?
Next up, the Committee will review the transcript of the hearing to determine what witnesses to bring in next. Mr. Cohen implicated several Trump associates in alleged crimes - it will be important to hear from them directly to understand the full picture of what has taken place. Mr. Cohen himself will testify again, this time to the House Intelligence Committee, in a closed door session next week. We will continue to follow the facts until they lead us to the full truth.