Intel chair on Trump lawyer: Panel will not ‘be manipulated’

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) on Wednesday said his panel would not allow itself to be manipulated by a personal attorney for President Trump.

Longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen angered the committee on Tuesday by releasing an opening statement to the press as he was prepared to meet with committee staff behind closed doors.

The meeting was quickly canceled, and Cohen is now scheduled to offer testimony in public at a full hearing this October.

{mosads}“The committee is not going to be manipulated by individuals that want to put out a statement, not tell us about putting out a statement and know that whatever they say we can’t come out and refute because our investigation is behind closed doors,” Burr told reporters on Wednesday.

The interview was part of the committee’s ongoing investigation of whether members of Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.