Senate Cancels Meeting With Donald Trump Attorney Michael Cohen

MANAFORT ISN'T THE ONLY TRUMP ASSOCIATE FEELING THE HEAT.
THE PRESIDENT'S PERSONAL ATTORNEY, MICHAEL COHEN, WAS ON
THE HILL TODAY, WHERE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INTERVIEWED BY
SENATE INTEL COMMITTEE STAFFERS, BUT AN HOUR AFTER HE GOT THERE,
HE TOLD REPORTERS THE INTERVIEW WAS POSTPONED.
>> THE COMMITTEE HAS CHOSEN TO POSTPONE TODAY'S MEETING, AND WE
WILL COME BACK FOR VOLUNTARY INTERVIEW WHENEVER WE CAN TO
MEET WITH THEM. >> WAS IT YOUR REQUEST TO
POSTPONE, OR WAS IT -- >> WHAT WERE YOU DOING HERE
TODAY? >> IT WAS A REQUEST BY THE
SENATE INTEL TO POSTPONE, AND I'LL BE BACK AND LOOK FORWARD TO
GIVING ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR.
>> HERE WITH ME NOW IS NBC INTELLIGENCE AND NATIONAL
SECURITY REPORTER KEN DELANEY AND JOYCE VANCE, FORMER U.S.
ATTORNEY FOR ALABAMA'S NORTHERN DISTRICT UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA.
SHE RESIGNED THE NIGHT BEFORE TRUMP'S INAUGURATION.
KEN, LET US START WITH YOU. WHY DID THIS -- THIS MEETING GET
POSTPONED? >> WELL, KATY, A SOURCE FAMILIAR
WITH THE SITUATION TOLD ME THAT LAWMAKERS FROM BOTH PARTIES WERE
REALLY ANNOYED THAT MICHAEL COHEN, DONALD TRUMP'S PERSONAL
LAWYER FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, RELEASED A STATEMENT TO
REPORTERS RIGHT AT THE START OF THE HEARING IN WHICH HE MADE
SORT OF A BLANKET DENIAL AROUND COLLUSION ALLEGATIONS.
THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD REACHED AN AGREEMENT WITH HIM THAT NEITHER
SIDE WOULD TALK TO THE MEDIA. THEY WERE ANNOYED WHEN JARED
KUSHNER ABOUT A MONTH AGO DID THE SAME THING BEFORE HIS SENATE
TESTIMONY. THEY DIDN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN
AGAIN, BECAUSE SENATORS FEEL CONSTRAINED ABOUT TALKING TO THE
MEDIA ABOUT THESE BEHIND CLOSED DOOR SESSIONS, SO THEY CANCELLED
THE MEETING AND NOW THEY ARE CONTEMPLATING A SUBPOENA TO MR.
COHEN UNLESS HE -- UNLESS THEY CAN AGREE TO ANOTHER VOLUNTARY
APPEARANCE. NOW, IN THAT STATEMENT, THOUGH,
HE EXPLICITLY DENIES COLLUDING WITH RUSSIA IN ANY WAY AROUND
HACKING OR FAKE NEWS IN THE ELECTION, AND HE SAYS HE WAS IN
CLOSE PROXIMITY TO DONALD TRUMP
DURING THE CAMPAIGN AND HE SAW NO EVIDENCE DONALD TRUMP
COLLUDED WITH THE RUSSIANS. HE ALSO SPECIFICALLY TALKED
ABOUT HIS EFFORTS TO BUILD A TRUMP TOWER IN MOSCOW, WHICH
OCCURRED DURING THE PRIMARIES. HE SAID THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO
WITH THE ELECTION, HE SAID I WAS JUST DOING MY JOB.
AND THE DEAL, OBVIOUSLY, DIDN'T COME TO FRUITION, KATY.
>> WHAT'S THIS MEAN FOR COHEN GOING FORWARD?
>> WELL, IT'S AN INTERESTING FACT OF LIFE AS A PROSECUTOR
THAT THESE SORT OF WRITTEN PREPARED STATEMENTS THAT CAN
LOOK GOOD IN WRITING OFTEN DON'T HOLD UP WHEN THEY ARE SUBJECTED
TO RIGOROUS CROSS EXAMINATION. AND COHEN'S STATEMENT IS IN MANY
WAYS VERY GENERAL. THE TYPE OF DENIALS THAT IT
ISSUES, BUT IT ALSO DOESN'T COVER THE CORE OF INFORMATION
THAT SENATE INVESTIGATORS, SENATE STAFF WOULD HAVE LIKED TO
HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO QUESTION HIM ABOUT.
THAT BEING HIS EFFORTS TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE TRUMP
CAMP AND RUSSIA. SO, IT LOOKS LIKE COHEN WILL NOW
RECEIVE A SUBPOENA, AN INVITATION TO APPEAR PUBLICLY,
AND ONE SUSPECTS THAT WILL BE AN APPEARANCE THAT WILL BE RIDE LED
WITH INVOCATION OF THE 5th AMENDMENT AS COHEN TRIES TO
ESSENTIALLY DANCE AND AVOID TO HAVING TO UNDER OATH IN A PUBLIC
FORUM MAKE FALSE STATEMENTS THAT CAN BE USED AGAINST HIM DOWN THE
ROAD. >> AT THE VERY LEAST O
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Senate Cancels Meeting With Donald Trump Attorney Michael Cohen | MSNBC

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