House Intelligence Committee delays Michael Cohen interview

The House Intelligence Committee has delayed a planned interview with President Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the panel’s chairman, announced the delay in a brief statement Wednesday morning, saying that “in the interests of the investigation, Michael Cohen’s testimony has been postponed until February 28th.”

This is the second time Cohen’s planned testimony has been either delayed or canceled outright. Last month, the Committee on Oversight and Reform scheduled Cohen to appear for a public hearing Feb. 7, but Cohen canceled, citing threats Trump had made to his family.

Cohen is expected to report to prison March 6 to begin serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to lying to Congress and financial crimes. House oversight committee chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) has said he will pull Cohen out of jail for a hearing if lawmakers can’t reschedule it before then.

Cohen is also scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for a closed-door interview Feb. 12.

Panel Republicans called the delay “unacceptable” in a statement Wednesday, in which they also called on Democrats to issue subpoenas for witnesses the panel never interviewed when it was under GOP control. Democrats complained forcefully last year that Republicans had blocked their efforts and denied their request to issue similar subpoenas.