Cohen attorney talks to Senate panel about an interview before sentencing

An attorney representing President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen is in talks with the Senate Judiciary Committee over the possibility of his client testifying before he is sentenced for bank and tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

Cohen, who pleaded guilty last week and implicated the president in a hush-money scheme in court documents, could testify in front of the committee before his scheduled sentencing hearing in December, according to Bloomberg News.

{mosads}“Mr. Petrillo indicated they could not yet schedule an interview, but that he would contact the committee when his client is ready,” a spokesman for the Judiciary Committee said of Cohen’s attorney, Guy Petrillo.

Petrillo separately told Bloomberg that talks over a voluntary interview “prior to sentencing” were ongoing.

In a recent letter to Democratic committee member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) obtained by the news outlet, the committee’s chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) indicated that the panel would continue pursuing Cohen’s testimony.

“As I have said many times, I am committed to following the facts wherever they lead, and to working in a bipartisan fashion whenever possible,” Grassley said. “This committee will continue attempts to reschedule the voluntary interview to which Mr. Cohen had previously agreed.”

Cohen pleaded guilty on Aug. 21, the same day that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty of tax fraud.

A source close to the attorney told CNN last week that Cohen is “resigned” to the possibility of jail time for his crimes, and does not expect a pardon from the president, who has attacked him publicly following his guilty plea.

“He’s very resigned to doing the time. He’s resigned to the fact that he’s going to go to jail for some time,” the source told CNN.