Michael Cohen’s explosive, mind-melting appearance before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday was the culmination of months of work by prosecutors, investigators, and lawmakers. But, while Cohen’s public testimony is (mercifully) over, House Democrats are just getting started.
According to Politico, the Oversight Committee’s next targets are Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. Chair Elijah Cummings told reporters on Thursday to expect the people mentioned by Cohen during Wednesday’s hearing—among them Don Jr. and Ivanka—to appear before the committee in some capacity in the near future as well.
“The Committee anticipates bringing in Mr. Weisselberg,” a Democratic aide to the House Intelligence Committee told The Daily Beast on Thursday, just one day after Cohen repeatedly indicated that nearly all the alleged financial wrongdoings by President Trump in some way routed through Weisselberg’s office.
Cummings told reporters on Thursday to expect the people mentioned by Cohen during Wednesday’s hearing—among them Don Jr. and Ivanka—to appear before the committee in some capacity in the near future as well.
“All you have to do is follow the transcript,” Cummings said. “If there are names that were mentioned or records that were mentioned during the hearing, we want to take a look at all of that.”
Trump Jr.’s appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee in September, 2017, and has repeatedly defended his, and his fathers conduct. However, even before Cohen mentioned him in Wednesday’s hearing, Senate Democrats have suggested that Trump Jr.’s testimony may have been “false.”
Whether the two eldest Trump children will be sworn in for a full hearing remains, however, to be seen.
“[The people mentioned by Cohen] have a good chance of hearing from us — at least an interview,” Cummings told reporters on Thursday. “We’ll go through it, we’ll figure out who we want to talk to, and we’ll bring them in.”
That’s not all. The Daily Beast also reported on Thursday that the House Intelligence Committee intends to call former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to testify. “The Committee anticipates bringing in Mr. Weisselberg,” a Democratic aide told The Daily Beast.
Described as “the most senior person in the organization that’s not a Trump,” and the “gatekeeper” to all of Trump’s money, Weisselberg was reportedly granted immunity last August by prosecutors investigating the hush money payments given by Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, which were allegedly made on behalf of Trump.
Weisselberg’s name repeatedly came up during Wednesday’s hearing. Notably, Cohen told Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that Weisselberg was one of several people who had knowledge of Trump committing insurance fraud. Rep. Ro Khanna also asked Cohen if Trump “directed transactions in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son Donald Trump Jr. as part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud,” to which Cohen responded: “Yes.”
Michael Cohen’s nightmare might be coming to an end. For the Trumps, however, it could be just starting.