The Senate Intelligence Committee, CNN was the first to report on Thursday, has officially subpoenaed Michael Cohen, the former private attorney and fixer of President Donald Trump, despite a request earlier this week by Cohen's legal team for his separately scheduled testimony before a House committee to be postponed due to fears of his "safety" over threats by the president against him and his family.
According to CNN, it remains unclear how Cohen will respond to the subpoena. The source for the story, CNN explained, indicated that "Cohen has the same concerns regarding the safety of his family that led him to try to postpone his appearance before a House Oversight Committee hearing."
Appearing on MSNBC shortly after the news broke, one of Cohen's attorneys, Lanny Davis, confirmed the subpoena and, in regards to what his client might do, said: "Well, he has to comply with subpoenas."
Despite efforts by outlets breaking the story, committee spokespeople have so far refused to comment on the existence of a subpoena.
The Hillnotes:
Cohen was interviewed by committee staff in fall of 2017 as part of its ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Since, Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about plans to build a Trump property in Moscow, agreeing to cooperate in separate federal probe run by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) has repeatedly signaled the committee would like to bring Cohen back for questioning, raising the possibility he could be subpoenaed if Cohen did not agree to a return appearance. The committee has conducted most of its interviews behind closed doors.
