Michael Cohen, former Trump fixer and onetime real estate investor, to testify before House committee

Michael Cohen — President Trump’s former attorney and fixer who was recently sentenced to three years in prison — has agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee next month.

Cohen, who implicated the president in a plan to pay hush money to women who claimed to have affairs with him, will give a full account of his work with Trump, the New York Times reported. Cohen was part of Trump’s inner circle and his testimony could shed more light on issues scrutinized by special counsel Robert Mueller.

“In furtherance of my commitment to cooperate and provide the American people with answers, I have accepted the invitation by Chairman Elijah Cummings to appear publicly on February 7,” Cohen said in a statement. “I look forward to having the privilege of being afforded a platform with which to give a full and credible account of the events which have transpired.”

Cohen previously pleaded guilty to lying about his involvement in the deal to bring a Trump Tower to Russia, and was sentenced to three years in prison in December. He also pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions, bank fraud and making false statements to Congress.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan launched an investigation into Cohen last year, and raided his offices after a tip from Mueller’s office, which has been investigating the Trump campaign, focusing on potential collusion with Russian nationals during the 2016 presidential election.

Last summer, Cohen sold stakes in two apartment buildings in the East Village and Upper East Side totaling $12.9 million. At 133 Avenue D, Cohen sold four stakes to his joint venture partner in the building, Vintage Group, for $4 million, according to filings. He sold four stakes at 330 East 63rd Street to Vintage for $8.9 million. [NYT] — Meenal Vamburkar