Trump was ‘impressed’ by one thing Cohen said in ‘fake’ hearing

Hanoi: President Donald Trump criticised his former attorney Michael Cohen on Thursday for lying in testimony to Congress but found reason to praise him, too, for not alleging Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in 2016.

Trump, speaking at a news conference in Vietnam after failing to achieve a peace deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, called the blockbuster hearing back in Washington fake and said it should not have been scheduled during his trip.

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, called the President a conman and a liar in his testimony.Credit:Bloomberg

In the closely-watched hearing before the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee, Cohen sought to embarrass Trump by detailing the President's attempts to inflate his wealth, dodge the Vietnam War draft and prevent the release of his high school test results.

Trump criticised the timing of the hearing saying it should not have been happened while he was on an important trip.

Trump, speaking after the failed Hanoi summit, said he was impressed by one thing Cohen said.Credit:AP

"Having a fake hearing like that and having it in the middle of this very important summit is really a terrible thing. They could have made it two days later or next week," he said.

"But having it during this very important summit is sort of incredible."

Trump has called an investigation into possible collusion between Moscow and his presidential campaign a “witch hunt”.

Cohen, 52, was a close aide of Trump for years and his testimony could increase the legal and political pressure on the Republican President.

But Cohen did not appear to disclose a "smoking gun" that could sink his former boss.

Cohen said he had no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow during the election campaign.

Possible collusion is a key theme of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, which has dogged the President during his two years in office. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation as has the Kremlin.

Reuters

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