WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer is postponing his public testimony to Congress.
Michael Cohen won’t appear as scheduled before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Feb. 7.
Cohen’s adviser Lanny Davis says the delay is on the advice of Cohen’s lawyers because Cohen’s still cooperating in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
Davis also says Cohen has received threats.
CNN reports that Cohen’s delay is in part because of threats made by Trump and Trump’s personal lawyer have made against his family, Cohen’s spokesman said Wednesday.
“This is a time where Mr. Cohen had to put his family and their safety first,” Cohen spokesman Lanny Davis said in a statement.
The Democratic-led committee is investigating hush-money payments during the 2016 campaign to silence women who claimed to have had sex with Trump. Prosecutors say Trump directed Cohen to make the payments as a way to quash potential scandals during the campaign.
Trump’s denied having an affair.
Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about his role in a Trump business proposal in Russia considered during the campaign.
