Michael Cohen criminally referred to DOJ for allegedly perjuring himself before Congress in 2019

On Tuesday, Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Michael Turner (R-OH) penned a letter to Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Department of Justice to investigate whether former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen should be criminally prosecuted over his recent testimony, which contradicted statements he made to Congress four years ago.

The pair argued that Cohen, who was previously convicted of lying to Congress, "knowingly made false statements while testifying under oath during his deposition before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence" in 2019.

According to Stefanik and Turner, during his 2019 deposition, Cohen was asked by Democrat Dan Goldman about the personal financial statement of Donald Trump, specifically whether the then-president asked him or Mr. Weiselberg to "inflate the numbers."

"Not that I recall, no," Cohen answered.

On October 25, while testifying in New York County Supreme Court in the state's case against Trump, Cohen was presented with the statements he'd made at the aforementioned Congressional hearing and admitted to defense counsel Alina Habba that what he had said was not true.

"Were you being honest in front of the Permanent Select Committee when you testified on February 28, 2019?" she asked, to which he replied, "No."

"So you lied under oath in February of 2019? Is that your testimony?" she continued.

"Yes," he said.

Stefanik and Turner said it was "startling" that Cohen "was willing to openly and brazenly state at trial that he lied to Congress on this specific issue," adding, "His willingness to make such a statement alone should necessitate an investigation."

"Mr. Cohen's prior conviction for lying to Congress merits a heightened suspicion that he has yet again testified falsely before Congress," they continued. "We therefore request that the Department investigate whether any of Mr. Cohen’s testimony warrants another charge for the violation of 18U.S.C. §§ 1001 or 1621."

Cohen first pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in 2018 regarding statements he had made the year before to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about his involvement in an aborted project to build a Trump Tower in Russia.