Michael Cohen is testifying before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform today. Here’s everything you need to know while you tune in.
Who is Michael Cohen?
Cohen was Donald Trump’s personal attorney from 2006 through May 2018. He’s often been described as Trump’s “fixer.” In addition to being Trump’s lawyer, he also had a position as vice president of The Trump Organization.
Why does this matter?
It’s fair to say that Cohen’s testimony is the most exciting (and perhaps most important) testimony since former FBI Director James Comey went before Congress in the summer of 2017. The hearing will likely touch on a huge range of topics Americans want to know about, from alleged criminal conduct to taxes to Stormy Daniels.
Oh. And WikiLeaks, which promises to be explosive.
What has he already said that’s really big?
According to prepared remarks that have been given to CBS News, Cohen is prepared to call Trump a “racist,” a “conman,” and a “cheat,” so ... Nothing we don’t already know, but the confirmation is pretty major.
When to watch?
You’ll want to follow the stream as closely as possible for real-time updates, but it’s expected to begin at 10 AM ET and 7 AM PT.
How to watch?
For those of us watching online, we have two easy options. First, C-SPAN comes through by bringing us a live stream of the entire testimony on its website. If you subscribe to DirecTV Now, you can also watch it via C-SPAN that way.
YouTube is also coming through, which makes this accessible to just about everybody. Specifically, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform is hosting the live stream on its channel.
What is Cohen up to now?
Cohen is (obviously) no longer Trump’s attorney. In fact, he’s close to starting a three-year federal prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress and numerous financial crimes.