Donald Trump is facing calls to “resign or be impeached”, if reports he instructed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about talks to build a Trump Tower in Moscow can be verified.
The president is under pressure after two law enforcement officials involved in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian collusion in the 2016 US election claimed to have obtained evidence of possible obstruction.
Several Democrats have urged Congress to seek clarification of what information the special counsel may hold on the matter, with one calling for Mr Trump to be removed if the claims, first published by Buzzfeed News, are proven.
BuzzFeed’s Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier revealed that President Trump directed longtime attorney Michael Cohen “to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter.”
They also report that Trump supported a plan devised by Cohen to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2016 campaign to discuss a potential Trump Tower in Moscow.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s s office learned of Trump’s directive through internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents and interviews with multiple witnesses.
“Cohen then acknowledged those instructions during his interviews with that office.”
BuzzFeed’s report says that even as Trump told the public he had no business deals with Russia, the sources said Trump and his children Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. received regular, detailed updates about the real estate development from Cohen, whom they put in charge of the project.
