Michael Cohen has faced mounting questions about his relationship with the Russian government after reports revealed he had sought the Kremlin’s help with a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images Senate intelligence panel postpones hearing with Trump personal lawyer

The Senate Intelligence Committee has indefinitely postponed a public hearing planned for next week with Michael Cohen, the longtime Trump attorney and 2016 campaign surrogate.

“The Committee’s public hearing with Michael Cohen has been postponed, and will be rescheduled at a later date,” the committee’s leaders, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), announced Friday. They did not include a reason for the delay.


Cohen had been slated to appear in a private session last month but the committee called it off abruptly after Cohen arrived, citing his decision to release a statement prior to his testimony in defiance of the committee’s request that he refrain from public comments. Instead, the committee scheduled Cohen for an open hearing on Oct. 25.

In announcing the postponement, Burr and Warner did not include any hint of the frustration that led to their initial decision to bring Cohen in publicly and even praised his “cooperation” with the panel's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen has faced mounting questions about his relationship with the Russian government after reports revealed he had sought the Kremlin’s help with a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow just as then-candidate Donald Trump was campaigning in the GOP primaries.

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In his public statement, Cohen denied he had any involvement in Russia’s efforts to medde in the presidential election, an effort the intelligence community has concluded was meant to harm Hillary Clinton’s chances and boost Trump’s.

When he first appeared, Cohen spent more than an hour with committee staff before they canceled his hearing.

“I'll be back, and I look forward to giving all the information that they're looking for,” Cohen told reporters at the time.

In his prior statement, Cohen also said the communications with Russian officials related to "a real estate deal and nothing more."

"I was doing my job," he added. "I have never engaged with, been paid by, paid for, or conversed with any member of the Russian Federation or anyone else to hack anyone or any organization."

