House kills GOP measure to require investigation of Cohen

The House voted Wednesday to table a Republican-backed resolution referring President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen to the Department of Justice for an investigation into whether he perjured himself by lying to Congress.

The vote on the motion to table passed along party lines in a 286-183 vote. 

Freshman Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, sponsored the measure.

{mosads}It would have required House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) to send a copy of Cohen’s remarks to Justice for investigation.

“The integrity of the Oversight Committee and entire House is at stake,” Green said in a statement. “We must defend our honor, refer Michael Cohen’s testimony to the Justice Department for a perjury investigation and show the American people that the People’s House will not tolerate a man lying under oath.”

Green introduced the privileged resolution on Tuesday, which provides the majority 48 hours to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. 

Republicans said Cohen lied when he repeatedly told members that he “never” asked for a pardon from President Trump.

Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in December for a series of crimes including lying to Congress and campaign finance violations for orchestrating payments to women who say they had affairs with the president to remain silent during the 2016 election.