Democrats have sought Michael Cohen’s testimony as one of their first high-profile witnesses of the year, signaling an aggressive start for the new Congress. | Corey Sipkin/AFP/Getty Images Legal Michael Cohen's lawyer says he will comply with subpoena to testify

Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen will comply with a subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee to testify before that panel, Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis said Thursday.

“Of course he will honor the subpoena,” Davis said on MSNBC when asked if Cohen would testify. “But what he will do as a result of the subpoena is a legal issue that would come down to reasonable discussions.”


The Senate Intelligence Committee declined comment about a the subpoena, though several media outlets reported Thursday that the panel is seeking the former Trump fixer’s closed-door testimony in mid-February before he begins serving a three-year federal prison sentence.

Cohen, whose relationship with President Donald Trump dates back a dozen years, was scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 7 until he delayed his appearance indefinitely Wednesday because of “ongoing threats against his family.” Davis, in a statement on Wednesday, accused Trump and Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, of making public comments in interviews and on social media that fueled the threats against Cohen.

On Thursday, Davis said there should be a criminal investigation into Giuliani for witness tampering and intimidation, calling Trump's lawyer “mentally unstable” for his alleged attacks on Cohen’s wife and father-in-law. He also urged Congress to protect Cohen with a resolution of censure as special counsel Robert Mueller conducts his investigation into whether the president's campaign colluded with Russia.

Playbook PM Sign up for our must-read newsletter on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

House Democrats have sought Cohen’s testimony as one of their first high-profile witnesses of the year, signaling an aggressive start to the new Congress. Responding to Davis’ statement postponing his client’s testimony on Wednesday, some senior Democratic members of the House Oversight panel said they too were considering a subpoena. “The general consensus on the committee, for the members I have spoken to, is that we will subpoena him,” Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch told POLITICO on Wednesday.

Cohen’s potential testimony before Congress will come after some of the Democrats’ most liberal members have already called for impeachment proceedings against Trump, though party leaders have said Mueller should be able to first wrap up his investigation.

Cohen is scheduled to report to prison March 6 to serve a three-year sentence. He pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and lying to Congress last November, a plea elicited in part by Mueller. Cohen has been cooperating with the special counsel’s investigation and with federal prosecutors and state investigators in New York, and has attributed some of his illicit actions to his prior “blind loyalty” to Trump.

Andrew Desiderio contributed to this report.