Craig Ruttle/Associated Press
- Michael Cohen has reportedly been disbarred in the state of New York.
- State law says an individual cannot practice law if they’ve been convicted of a felony.
- Cohen pleaded guilty to several counts of tax evasion, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations as part of the Manhattan US attorney’s investigation into his and President Donald Trump’s financial dealings during the 2016 election.
- Cohen also pleaded guilty to one count of lying to Congress as part of the special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
- Cohen plans to publicly accuse Trump of criminal conduct in office when he testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime former lawyer and fixer who is embroiled in multiple criminal investigations, has been disbarred in the state of New York, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday, citing a state appeals court ruling.
Cohen kicked off a marathon week of congressional testimony on Tuesday, when he appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee for a closed-door hearing about the Russia investigation and his dealings with Trump.
On Wednesday, Cohen will go before the House Oversight Committee for a public hearing in which he’s expected to accuse the president of criminal conduct while in office. The oversight hearing will not focus on issues related to the Russia investigation. Instead, Cohen reportedly plans to shed light on Trump’s character and financial dealings. He is expected to provide documentary evidence to support his claims.
Cohen on Thursday will appear before the House Intelligence Committee, led by Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, for another closed-door hearing about the committee’s Russia probe.
Cohen pleaded guilty in August 2018 to several counts of tax evasion, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations in the Manhattan US attorney’s office investigation into his and Trump’s business dealings during the 2016 election.
In November 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to one count of lying to Congress in the special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, specifically over testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 regarding the Trump Tower Moscow deal.
New York law states that an individual cannot practice law if they’ve been convicted of a felony. According to state law, Cohen can apply for readmission to the bar in seven years.
Though the president initially defended Cohen following an FBI raid on his property, the White House subsequently began distancing itself from Trump’s longtime lawyer and fixer. Cohen reportedly felt betrayed by the president and decided to cooperate with prosecutors soon after.
Cohen served as the Trump Organization’s lead lawyer for over a decade before leaving the company in 2017 to be Trump’s personal lawyer. His proximity to Trump, as well as his elevated position on the campaign and in Trump’s personal life, makes him one of the most dangerous cooperators against the president to date, legal scholars told INSIDER last year.
The president and his associates have frequently characterized Cohen as a liar since the lawyer stopped working for the president. Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee also plan to paint Cohen as a liar whose statements can’t be trusted.
But legal experts said their attacks may be undermined if Cohen can support his allegations with documentary evidence, as he reportedly plans to do.
Cohen is due to begin serving a three-year prison sentence in May.
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See Also:
- We might get the Mueller report as early as next week, but the Russia probe is nowhere near finished
- Mueller’s findings in the Russia probe could reportedly be delivered as soon as next week
- A bombshell new report about Trump’s alleged interference with federal investigations ‘raises serious questions’ about whether Matthew Whitaker misled Congress, aides say
Source: Business Insider – ssheth@businessinsider.com (Sonam Sheth)