The first part of our liveblog is here.
The Washington Post has a couple of pertinent updates from the break:
3:37 p.m.: Trump campaign spokeswoman blasts Cohen
Trump remains in Vietnam and hasn’t responded to Cohen’s testimony aside from a morning tweet. His 2020 campaign spokeswoman, though, blasted Cohen’s credibility in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“Michael Cohen is a felon, a disbarred lawyer, and a convicted perjurer, who lied to both Congress and the Special Counsel in a ‘deliberate and premeditated’ fashion according to the Special Counsel’s Office,” the spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, wrote. “Now he offers what he says is evidence, but the only support for that is his own testimony, which has proven before to be worthless. As noted by the Southern District of New York, Cohen’s wide array of crimes were ‘marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life’ and his ‘instinct to blame others is strong.’ Prosecutors said his actions were to ensure that he would ‘profit personally, build his own power, and enhance his level of influence.’ This is the same Michael Cohen who has admitted that he lied to Congress previously. Why did they even bother to swear him in this time?”
3:31 p.m.: Assange lawyer denies that Roger Stone had call with WikiLeaks founder
Cohen alleged in his opening statement that he listened in on a call in July 2016 in which Roger Stone claimed to Trump he had talked with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and he thus knew the organization was about to release a batch of emails.
Barry Pollack, a lawyer for Assange, denied that Stone had such a call with Assange.
“Roger Stone did not have the telephone call Michael Cohen described Stone claiming to have had with Julian Assange,” Pollack said. “It is ironic that while Stone and Cohen have both been charged with lying, and the public tries to untangle those lies, Mr. Assange apparently faces criminal charges in the Eastern District of Virginia for his role in publishing truthful information.”
Chairman Cummings restarts the Michael Cohen hearing at 4:27pm ET.
Reps. Meadows and Jordan want Cohen to disclose all financial compensation he has received from foreign governments though it is unclear what this has to do with anything.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) discusses the president's potential involvement in financial fraud as it has to do with hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. He gets Cohen to admit it seems Trump, Don Jr., and Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg joined him in a criminal conspiracy.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) wants to talk about the president's tax returns. Cohen says he does not know if the president's taxes were under audit. He says he asked for a statement to that effect and never received one. Cohen says Trump didn't want tax experts from think tanks running through his tax returns because he didn't want to be subject to an audit. Gomez asks Cohen if this would lead him to believe Trump was not, in fact, already under audit. Cohen concurs, saying, "I presume he is not under audit." Cohen says he has never gone through Trump's tax returns.
Rep. Meadows speaks again about Cohen wanting a job in the White House even though he has said repeatedly under oath he did not. Jordan submits an article for the record criticizing this hearing and submits the letter he and Meadows wrote asking Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein being invited to testify at this hearing.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) asks about the president submitting inflated assets to an insurance company. Cohen says he has. Ocasio-Cortez asks about the president deflating the value of his assets to reduce his tax bill. Cohen explains how that is done.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) wants to discuss the president buying his own painting in an auction by using a straw purchaser and other illegal uses of the Trump Foundation to benefit the Trump family. Cohen says he wrote up a contract for Trump to participate in a short video in exchange for a Ukrainian billionaire's donation to the Foundation.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is next. She says to Cohen, "Trump committed multiple felonies, and you helped cover it up. Correct?" Cohen says yes. Tlaib chokes up talking about how someone possibly could use a black woman as prop in the committee. Meadows tried to cut off her remarks and then asks that her remarks be stricken from the record. Jordan wants the comments read back. Tlaib repeats her remarks that using a person of color as a prop was insensitive. Tlaib affirms she did not call Meadows a racist. She says she was stating how she - as a woman of color - felt at that moment. Meadows says his nieces and nephews are people of color and asserts it's racist to suggest he asked Lynne Patton to come in only for that reason.
Meadows, who seemed outraged by the race matter, immediately shifts to submitting to the record articles criticizing Cohen. Several Republicans do the same.
Cohen has some closing remarks. He says ongoing silence and complicity is not going to be one of his mistakes. He says he no longer will sit back and say nothing and let Trump destroy the country. He worries there will not be a peaceful transition of power if Trump loses in 2020. He speaks directly to Trump, telling him to take responsibility for his own dirty deeds and not to separate families, vilify people based on religion, cuddle up to adversaries, shut down the government, and more. Cohen warns the country not to make the same mistakes he has made.
Rep. Jordan closes by saying Cohen lied today.
Cummings offers his concluding remarks. He says he does not know why this is happening for Cohen but that he hopes a small part of it is for our country to be better. Cohen, looking solemn, nods in agreement. Cummings tells Cohen this is part of his destiny, and Cohen seems to be tearing up. Cummings gets fired up reminding people this is not the first committee hearing, in spite of Republicans continuing to state it is. Cummings adjourns the hearing, and the audience erupts in applause.