Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon WhitehouseHillicon Valley: Murky TikTok deal raises questions about China's role | Twitter investigating automated image previews over apparent algorithmic bias | House approves bill making hacking federal voting systems a crime House approves legislation making hacking voting systems a federal crime LWCF modernization: Restoring the promise MORE (D-R.I.) said Wednesday that President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE's longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, has an incentive to be truthful with lawmakers during testimony on Capitol Hill, pushing back against GOP criticisms that Cohen is untrustworthy.

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Whitehouse noted on Twitter that Cohen's cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors could be imperiled if he's found to have perjured himself during congressional testimony.

"Looking at prison, all #Cohen’s incentives are to be truthful," Whitehouse said.

The senator responded directly to a tweet from Trump, who earlier repeated his claim that Cohen is lying to secure a lighter prison sentence.

Looking at prison, all #Cohen’s incentives are to be truthful.https://t.co/2B3IlTT1SP — Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) February 27, 2019

Rep. Eric Swalwell Eric Michael SwalwellSwalwell calls for creation of presidential crimes commission to investigate Trump when he leaves office 'This already exists': Democrats seize on potential Trump executive order on preexisting conditions Swalwell: Barr has taken Michael Cohen's job as Trump's fixer MORE (D-Calif.) noted in a tweet of his own that Cohen has agreed again to testify under oath, whereas Trump has not.

During every second of #CohenCongressionalTestimony, keep this in mind: @MichaelCohen212 is willing to go under oath and @realDonaldTrump is not. This is not Cohen’s word versus Trump’s. If Trump isn’t under oath, the state of the evidence is just Cohen’s word. — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) February 27, 2019

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Steny Hamilton HoyerOn The Money: Powell, Mnuchin stress limits of emergency loans | House seeks to salvage vote on spending bill | Economists tell lawmakers: Kill the virus to heal the economy House moves toward spending vote after bipartisan talks House Democrats mull delay on spending bill vote MORE (D-Md.) told reporters on Tuesday that it's fair to have questions about Cohen's credibility."

"However, having said that, I have far less questions about his credibility, given the fact that the Mueller investigation is ongoing and that, obviously, if he lies to Congress, he'll face substantially more time in jail than he is apparently facing now," Hoyer said. "So, I think that makes it much more likely that he's going to be careful to tell the truth."

Republicans have attempted to portray Cohen as unreliable ahead of his testimony with the House Oversight and Reform Committee, noting that he has already pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the timing of negotiations for a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Cohen will allege on Wednesday that Trump is a "conman," a "racist" and a "cheat," and that he had direct knowledge of a scheme to pay off adult-film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Daniels alleges she had an affair with Trump.

Cohen, who worked for years as Trump's personal attorney and "fixer," was sentenced late last year to serve three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to campaign finance law violations related to the hush money payment, bank fraud, tax fraud and lying to Congress.

The president sought to distance himself from Cohen in an early morning tweet that was sent while he is in Vietnam for negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Updated at 10:21 a.m.