Cohen hands new documents to US Congress

Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has handed new documents to the US House Intelligence Committee during a day-long hearing.

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer,

Donald Trump's former lawyer has given more documents to the US House Intelligence Committee. (AAP)

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has provided the US House Intelligence Committee with new documents, the panel's chairman has said after a day-long hearing behind closed doors.

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff told reporters that Cohen was cooperative and the eight-hour hearing was "very productive."

He did not say what the new documents related to and declined to comment on the substance of Cohen's testimony.

"We had requested documents of Mr. Cohen. He has provided additional documents to the committee. There may be additional documents that he still has to offer and his cooperation with our committee continues," Schiff said.

Cohen, who in public testimony last week before a different House committee, called Trump a "racist," "conman" and "cheat," arrived for his testimony before Schiff's committee carrying a brown file folder and wheeling a black suitcase.

Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, said in a statement that Cohen has now spent 16 hours testifying before the intelligence committee.

Sources said Cohen also likely would be questioned about the extent of Trump's personal involvement in pursuing a tower project in Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump at the time had denied any links to Russia but has since defended the proposed tower project, which never materialised.

CNN and the New York Times reported that Cohen shared documents with the committee showing edits made to written testimony he provided to Congress in 2017, saying that the Moscow projected ended in January 2016.

Cohen subsequently pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in the testimony. He has since said pursuit of the Moscow project continued until June 2016, after Trump had clinched the Republican presidential nomination.

Cohen's testimony on Wednesday was the latest in a series of appearances before congressional panels, most of them private. His televised February 27 testimony before the House Oversight Committee was followed by a rapid expansion of Democratic investigations focusing on Trump.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is completing an investigation into whether Trump's campaign conspired with Russia and whether the president has unlawfully sought to obstruct the probe.

Trump has denied collusion and obstruction, Russia has denied election interference.

Cohen is due to report to prison on May 6 to begin a three-year sentence after pleading guilty in a separate case last year to criminal charges including tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.


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Source: AAP


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