On Wednesday’s “MSNBC Live,” Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said that he has “a very hard time believing” former Trump attorney Michael Cohen would lie to Congress again, given that Cohen knows he can face severe penalties if he lies as a cooperator. Swalwell also stated that he doesn’t “really care too much” about President Trump’s hush money payments to women.
Host Katy Tur asked, “So, congressman, have you heard anything today that would lead you to believe that the president committed a high crime or a misdemeanor?”
Swalwell answered, “Yes, but I’m not going to make a conclusion. I’ve heard evidence. Evidence is not a conclusion, but it’s a reason to keep looking and testing other accounts. So, Katy — and I’m going to focus on Russia. Frankly, I don’t really care too much about the payoffs to the women. And I don’t think most people do either.”
He continued, “As it relates to Russia, we learned that the president was in contact with Roger Stone. We saw in our investigation that all of the evidence pointed in that direction, that they talked throughout the campaign, and it would have been unnatural if Roger Stone didn’t share his conversations with WikiLeaks. We learned that Donald Trump Jr. did tell his father about the Trump Tower meeting, and again, that matches with what we learned throughout our investigation, which was, they were so close, they talked so often, that it would have been unnatural for him not to read in his father. So, we’re starting to see more color filled in. But we have, again, more witnesses to interview.”
Swalwell later added, “I have a very hard time believing that Michael Cohen, as a cooperator, knowing that you can be nailed if you lie, would come in and lie again to Congress. There were just so many things that just rang of truth. That’s why, I think, we have a lot more now to pursue.”
Swalwell further stated that it isn’t just Cohen’s word against Trump’s, given that Cohen has gone under oath, while Trump hasn’t, and we have the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey. He continued that Cohen’s testimony is “uncontroverted” unless Trump is willing to testify under oath.
(h/t WFB)
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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