Jackson Lee – “I hope federal prosecutors review all the materials seized from Mr. Cohen to fully unearth the pattern of criminal conduct that has defined the last decade of his relationship with the Trump Organization, and pursue the facts wherever they may lead. I also look forward to an opportunity to hear from Michael Cohen, in an open, public setting before the House Judiciary Committee, so that he may fully reveal his criminal activity as it relates to the President, and especially regarding knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election and the extent to which associates of the Trump campaign aided and abetted in that crime.”

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Budget and Homeland Security, Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, issued this statement following today’s sentencing of Michael Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer:

“Today, the President’s former trusted personal attorney, Michael Cohen, confessed to a pattern of criminal activity, notably violations of the federal campaign finance laws for the express and avowed purpose of influencing the 2016 election in favor of Donald Trump. Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison. This is a stunning fall for a man who once boasted that he ‘would take a bullet [for Trump].’

“At his allocution in a Manhattan courtroom, Michael Cohen stated that he performed a series of federal crimes out of a blind loyalty to the President, otherwise known as ‘Individual-1.’ Also today, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York also announced that they had reached a non-prosecution agreement with American Media, the parent company of the National Enquirer, the supermarket tabloid historically aligned with Trump, indicating that the payments were made to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

“For over 10 years, Michael Cohen worked in close proximity to the President and is reported to have recorded many conversations he had with the future president. Now that he has accepted responsibility for his conduct and been sentenced to prison, I hope federal prosecutors review all the materials seized from Mr. Cohen to fully unearth the pattern of criminal conduct that has defined the last decade of his relationship with the Trump Organization, and pursue the facts wherever they may lead. I also look forward to an opportunity to hear from Michael Cohen, in an open, public setting before the House Judiciary Committee, so that he may fully reveal his criminal activity as it relates to the President, and especially regarding knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election and the extent to which associates of the Trump campaign aided and abetted in that crime.”