To prove his point, Cohen gave the committee Trump's financial statements from 2011-2013, which the billionaire developer submitted to Deutsche Bank in his 2014 attempt to get a loan to buy the Bills.

Those documents show Trump with a net worth of $4.26 billion as of June 30, 2011, and $4.56 billion a year later. But the third financial report, dated March 31, 2013, showed Trump's net worth as $8.66 billion, largely because an additional $4 billion line item – labeled "brand value" – appeared on that last document.

Those figures stoked the curiosity of Rep. William Lacy Clay, a Missouri Democrat.

"Inflating assets to win a newspaper poll to boost your ego is not a crime but to your knowledge, did the president ever provide inflated assets to a bank in order to help him obtain a loan?" Clay asked at the hearing.

Cohen's response: "These documents and others were provided to Deutsche Bank on one occasion in which I was with him in our attempt to obtain money so that we can put a bid on the Buffalo Bills."

By no means was that the only time Trump provided inaccurate information regarding his finances, he said. In response to a question from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Bronx Democrat, Cohen said Trump also inflated his net worth in filings to insurance companies.