GOP congressman Matt Gaetz taunts Michael Cohen ahead of public hearing

WASHINGTON — A House Republican taunted former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen ahead of a congressional hearing, suggesting in a tweet that the public appearance will expose damaging personal information about Cohen.

Florida Republican Matt Gaetz tweeted, without offering any evidence Tuesday, that the world is “about to learn a lot” about President Trump’s former lawyer and that Cohen should talk to his wife ahead of his testimony Wednesday.

Gaetz, a Trump ally, is not a member of the committee questioning Cohen. Still, the tweet was extraordinary because his remarks appeared to be threatening or intimidating a witness on the eve of a highly anticipated public hearing.

I talked to Matt Gaetz about his tweet to Michael Cohen suggesting his wife will leave him when he goes to jail

“This is what it looks like to compete in the marketplace of ideas,” he said. https://t.co/r3nyUwDtdG

— Sam Stein (@samstein) February 26, 2019

Cohen is due to testify Wednesday before the House Oversight and Reform Committee about payments to buy the silence of women ahead of the 2016 election. His testimony is expected to be sharply critical of Trump, alleging lying, cheating and criminal behavior.

“We will not respond to Mr. Gaetz’s despicable lies and personal smears, except to say we trust that his colleagues in the House, both Republicans and Democrats, will repudiate his words and his conduct,” Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, said in a statement.

Asked whether his tweet to Cohen should be perceived as a threat, Gaetz responded: “Absolutely not.”

“We’re witness testing, not witness tampering, and when witnesses come before Congress their truthfulness and veracity are in question and we have the opportunity to test them,” he told reporters outside his office.

“Was the Congressman freelancing or was this something that somebody put in his ear and said that he needed to put out there?... We've seen [Trump] tweet out things that at least operate in a grey area of obstruction of justice" - @AaronBlake w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/BBU6gotQcf

— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) February 26, 2019

A spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump’s fixer-turned-foe was testifying to the Senate intelligence committee behind closed doors Tuesday when Gaetz fired off his tweet.

“Hey MichaelCohen212 — Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot…” the tweet said. It was not clear what prompted the allegation.

“It’s total gangster stuff,” CNN chief legal analyst @JeffreyToobin says about Rep. Matt Gaetz’s tweet threatening Michael Cohen ahead of Cohen’s congressional testimony tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Bd3NBHjZeZ

— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) February 26, 2019

Gaetz’s tweet drew immediate criticism from fellow lawmakers.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., a New Jersey Democrat, called on the House Ethics Committee to launch an investigation for what he called a “grossly unethical and probably illegal” attempt to intimidate a witness.

Cohen had previously delayed his public testimony, blaming threats from Trump and the president’s attorney-spokesman, Rudy Giuliani, and cited his own ongoing cooperation in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Cohen, who was a key power player in the Trump Organization for more than a decade and a fixture in Trump’s political life, is a central figure in the Mueller investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump’s campaign. He also played a pivotal role in buying the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, who both alleged they had sex with Trump. The president has denied their claims.

Analysis: Rep. Matt Gaetz’s very witness-tamper-y Michael Cohen tweet https://t.co/N2eBhY4SZr

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 26, 2019

Cohen has pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations connected to the payments and lying to Congress. Federal prosecutors have said Trump directed Cohen to make the payments during the campaign.

He’s scheduled to begin a three-year prison sentence in May.