President Donald Trump has become the “worst version of himself” since becoming president, his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said in Washington on Wednesday.
Cohen’s potentially explosive allegations against the U.S. president began shortly after 10 a.m. despite an attempt by Rep. Mark Meadows to delay the testimony. Meadows said Cohen’s failing to submit his prepared remarks ahead of time was an intentional “violation of the rules.”
WATCH: Michael Cohen’s full opening statement
In his opening statement, Cohen told the U.S. House committee that Trump is a “con man” and a “racist” and that he knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks had emails damaging to 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Cohen said that Trump did not want to release his tax returns because he feared public scrutiny would lead to an audit and penalties.
Cohen has already pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a project in Russia and has been sentenced to three years in prison (which begins in May). Trump has accused Cohen of now lying to reduce his prison sentence.
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