House Democrats just accused Trump of using FOX News for Russia probe witness tampering

Three high-ranking Democratic Congressional Chairmen just issued a grave warning to President Trump for what he said in an erratic interview on Fox News last night (video below). 

This past Thursday, Trump’s convicted former personal lawyer Michael Cohen agreed to testify in public to the House Oversight Committee on February 7th, surely infuriating the President.

Last night, Donald Trump went on Fox News to rant and rave about reports that the FBI believes him to be a Russian agent.

During the interview with Jeanine Pirro, the President called out by name Cohen and publicly demanded the news network investigate his former lawyer’s father-in-law as retaliation for his upcoming testimony to Congress about his role in Trump Tower Moscow and funneling illegal hush money payments to Playmates and porn stars at Trump’s orders.

The three House Democrats leading the Government Oversight, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees, Reps. Elijah Cummings (MD), Adam Schiff (CA), and Jerry Nadler (NY), just responded by releasing a strongly worded joint statement flatly accusing Trump of tampering with their witness, which is a crime.

They wrote:

“The integrity of our process to serve as an independent check on the Executive Branch must be respected by everyone, including the President.  Our nation’s laws prohibit efforts to discourage, intimidate, or otherwise pressure a witness not to provide testimony to Congress.  

The President should make no statement or take any action to obstruct Congress’ independent oversight and investigative efforts, including by seeking to discourage any witness from testifying in response to a duly authorized request from Congress.”

Witness tampering is a federal crime under Title 73 which deals with obstruction of justice and makes it illegal to interfere with a witness set to testify to any Congressional committee.

But Fox News host Jeanine Pirro – a former New York state attorney herself – was all too happy to help Donald Trump intimidate Michael Cohen on national television.

Pirro responded the President’s corrupt attack on a Congressional witness who committed crimes with Trump, not by admonishing him about potentially breaking the law, but by asking for Cohen’s father-in-law’s name live on Fox News.

Michael Cohen’s two guilty pleas in federal court implicate the President in serious campaign finance crimes and a shady Russian real estate deal that Trump denied happening for years but has since been proven to be very real.

Cohen is still cooperating with Mueller’s prosecutors and indicated at his sentencing that he would come clean with Congress before beginning a three-year prison term in March.

As Trump’s co-conspirator in two campaign finance felonies involving unreported hush money payments during key moments of the Presidential campaign, his former lawyer is also a witness against him in any future action as well.

That’s probably why Trump is so upset about Cohen’s testimony since he’s facing a January 22nd deadline to provide documents to the House Oversight Committee about his hush money payments before Cohen’s February 7th appearance.

If Trump fails to produce, he could face a very consequential subpoena from Oversight Chairman Cummings before the month’s end.

Trump’s former lawyer began his turn away from team Trump over the summer by declaring on ABC News that he was putting his ‘country and family first.’

When Donald Trump said that Michael Cohen’s father in law deserves to be exposed, it was an unambiguous, direct attack on his family and an obvious Presidential attempt to sway his former counsel’s testimony to Congress next month.

Here’s the statement:

Grant Stern

Editor at Large

is the Executive Editor of Occupy Democrats and published author. His new Meet the Candidates 2020 book series is distributed by Simon and Schuster. He's also a mortgage broker, community activist and radio personality in Miami, Florida., as well as the producer of the Dworkin Report podcast. Grant is also an occasional contributor to Raw Story, Alternet, and the DC Report, an unpaid senior advisor to the Democratic Coalition, and a Director of Sunshine Agenda Inc. a government transparency nonprofit organization. Get all of his stories sent directly to your inbox here: