The statement had become public before. Now, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's longtime lawyer, accused the President of the United States of being in a public hearing before the House of Representatives.
"He's a racist, he's a scammer, he's a fake," Cohen said at the start of the President's hearing. "I am ashamed that I have helped disguise Mr. Trump's illicit actions rather than listening to my own conscience."
The manuscript for the statement was published in advance by the "News York Times".
"I'm here to apologize to the American citizens," says Cohen, and, "I'm here today to tell the truth about Mr. Trump." He stated that the president did not directly instruct him to lie before the congress. The background is a planned Trump construction project in Moscow, about which Cohen had made false statements before the congress in the past.
Trump did not tell him to lie, he does not work that way, Cohen said. However, he stated that Trump's personal lawyers had reviewed and changed his statement to Congress about the timeframe of the construction project before handing it over.
Trump is basically disloyal
About Donald Trump, Cohen said, "Mr. Trump is a mystery, he's complicated." Trump was able to be gentle, but he was not friendly. "He is capable of acting generously, but he is not generous, he is capable of being loyal, but he is basically disloyal," Cohen said.
Cohen had worked for Trump for more than ten years and is a key figure in several affairs surrounding the president. He joined the Trump organization in 2006, most recently as vice president. The 52-year-old was often described as Trump's "cleaner".
Meanwhile, Cohen has fallen out with Trump, he cooperates with special investigator Robert Mueller. He is investigating whether there were any collusion between the Trump camp and representatives of Russia in alleged attempts by Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election campaign.
"He told me in his own way that I should lie"
Cohen also said that during the election campaign, Trump looked him in the eye and said that there was no Russia business, although the negotiations were still going on. Then he went out and lied to the American people by saying the same thing. "He told me in his own way that I should lie." Cohen said Trump had said the untruth because he never assumed he would win the election.
As for the planned construction of a Trump Tower in Moscow, Cohen had initially stated that the plans had been abandoned in January 2016. Later, he admitted, among other things, that until about June 2016 he had tried to obtain a permit from the Russian authorities for the project. He said he lied to protect Trump. The news portal "Buzzfeed" reported in January that Trump had ordered him to do so. However, the office of special investigator Robert Mueller explained a little later, the presentation of "Buzzfeed" contained errors.