Donald Trump's long time former personal attorney Michael Cohen on Wednesday charged the president with being a 'racist' and claimed Trump told him 'that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid.'

Cohen made his startling claim in his opening statement before the House Oversight and Reform Committee - his first public hearing before lawmakers since he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in December.

'Mr. Trump is a racist. The country has seen Mr. Trump court white supremacists and bigots. You have heard him call foreign countries s***holes.

'He once asked me if I could name a country run by a black wasn't that wasn't a s***hole. This was when Barack Obama was president of the United States. While we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that only black people could live that way. And he told me that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid. And yet I continued to work for him,' Cohen said.

Michael Cohen charged the president with being a 'racist' and claimed Trump told him 'that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid'

Here to contradict: Lynne Patton (standing) was invited by Mark Meadows who told Michael Cohen that she did not believe Trump was a racist. She is a former event planner who worked for Eric Trump's foundation and is now in charge of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's operations in New York and New Jersey

President Donald Trump has long denied he is a racist; he's seen here with first lady Melania Trump at a National African American History Month reception in the White House

During the questioning by lawmakers, GOP Rep. Mark Meadows, a staunch Trump ally on Capitol Hill, noted he invited Lynne Patton, an administrator in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to the hearing.

Meadows asked Cohen what proof he has that Trump is a racist.

Cohen admitted he does not have tapes of the president making any such remarks but pointed to the lack of African American top staff at Trump's private company.

'Ask Ms. Patton how many people who are black are executives at the Trump Organization. The answer is zero,' Cohen said.

Patton is the former vice president of the Eric Trump Foundation and, as an event planner, did much work for the Trump family.

Cohen said he is 'responsible for Ms. Patton joining the Trump Organization.'

Patton, an African American, spoke at the July 2016 Republican National Convention.

During her speech, she said 'Donald Trump knows that black lives matter.'

She added: 'There's not one person in this room who can't deny that historically black lives have mattered less. My life mattered less and there are people out there who still believe this to be true. But tonight, as a minority myself, I personally pledge to you that Donald Trump knows that your life matters.'

Patton was also one of the president's defenders when Omarosa Manigault Newman charged, in her memoir, that Trump was a racist.

'Like countless other minorities and women, the President has given me the opportunity of a lifetime to rise up through the ranks of The Trump Organization and now proudly serve this country,' Patton said in a statement at the time.

Cohen, in his opening statement, made several references to past public instances when the president has dealt with questions of his handling of race relations in his bombshell public testimony that included allegations the president knew Wikileaks was going to dump hacked emails before it happened. He called Trump a 'con man.'

In his charges Trump is a racist, he referenced the president's comments on the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and a report from last year that the president referred to some African nations as s***hole countries.

Cohen also noted Trump questioned the abilities of black leaders at a time when the first African American president was in the White House. Trump rose to political prominence in part by questioning the validity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate and falsely arguing Obama was not born in America.

Trump's response to the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville - where one person was killed and more than 30 injured when counter protesters clashed with the white supremacists marching in support of Confederate monuments - infuriated some when the president noted there 'very fine people' on both sides of the issue.

He also said both sides deserved blamed.

'I think there is blame on both sides,' Trump said at the time. 'You had a group on one side that was bad. You had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say that. I'll say it right now.'

In January 2018, it was reported President Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as 's***hole countries' during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators at the White House.

The remarks from the president came during a meeting with lawmakers on immigration policy.

When the discussion turned to African nations, it was reported Trump asked why he would want 'all these people from s***hole countries' and said the United States should admit more people from places like Norway.

Trump tweeted after the incident was reported: 'The language used by me at the ... meeting was tough, but this was not the language used.'

The president has repeatedly defended himself against the allegation he's racist and has expressed frustration he does get more support from African American voters.

The president received 8 percent of the African American vote in the 2016 election.

'No, No. I am not a racist,' he said in January 2018 after his comments about calling African nations s***hole countries was revealed.

'I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That I can tell you,' he told reporters at the time.

President Trump has complained about his lack of support from African Americans

Lynne Patton has worked for the Trump family and she is seen here speaking at the Republican National Convention

The president also told CBS News earlier this month he likes African Americans.

'I think they like me a lot and I like them a lot,' he said.

CBS' Margaret Brennan also asked the president about a CBS News poll that showed 63 percent of Americans said they disapproved of his handling of race issues.

Trump pointed to strong job numbers for minorities in his defense.

'Our employment numbers are phenomenal, the best in over 50 years. So I think I've been given a lot of credit for that. And in terms of race, a lot of people are saying well this is something very special what's happening,' he noted.

A CBS News poll out in January showed 57 percent said race relations in the U.S. are generally bad with 73 percent of blacks saying they were 'generally bad,' along with 54 percent of whites.

The president frequently touts low black unemployment during his presidency as he did last week at a White House event honoring Black History Month.

In January, African American unemployment rose slightly to 6.8 percent.

The president, in his remarks, praised the contribution of black leaders.

'From the earliest days of this nation, African American leaders, pioneers and visionaries have uplifted and inspired our country,' he said.