GOP rep tweets cryptic warning to Michael Cohen ahead of hearing

Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a staunch White House ally, issued a cryptic warning to President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who is expected to accuse the president of racism and criminal activity at a high-profile hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

“Hey @MichaelCohen212 – Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot…,” Gaetz wrote on Twitter late Tuesday afternoon.

“One of my colleagues, a duly elected member of Congress, has taken to twitter to intimidate a witness. This is grossly unethical and probably illegal (18 USC § 1512(b)),” Pascrell tweeted Tuesday evening. “House Ethics must investigate this disgrace and stain on our institution.”

Although she did not name Gaetz, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Members of Congress should be cautious about making comments on social media or to the press corps because they could “adversely affect the ability of House Committees to obtain the truthful and complete information necessary to fulfill their duties.”

“Congress has an independent duty under the Constitution to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch, and any efforts to intimidate family members or pressure witnesses will not be tolerated,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Asked by reporters outside his Capitol Hill office if his ominous tweet could be considered a threat against Cohen, Gaetz replied, “Absolutely not. We are witness testing, not witness tampering, and when witnesses come before Congress, their truthfulness and veracity are in question and we have the opportunity to test them.”

In a statement to CBS News, Lanny Davis, one of Cohen’s attorneys, said he expects lawmakers to “repudiate” Gaetz’s statement.

“We will not respond to Mr. Gaetz’s despicable lies and personal smears, except to say we trust that his colleagues in the House, both Republicans and Democrats, will repudiate his words and his conduct,” Davis said. “I also trust that his constituents will not appreciate that their congressman has set a new low — which in today’s political culture is hard to imagine as possible.”

Cohen will testify before lawmakers during an open House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing Wednesday morning.