Michael Cohen is off the hook for misleading the House Oversight Committee about his claim he never asked President Donald Trump for a pardon, The Washington Times reported.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said the president's onetime personal lawyer has now clarified through his own attorney that his testimony "could have been clearer," the news outlet reported.
"Our practice on this committee is to give witnesses an opportunity to clarify their testimony, and that is what Mr. Cohen has done," Cummings said, the news outlet reported. "I do not see the need for further action — at least at this time."
In his Feb. 27 opening statement to the committee, Cohen declared: "I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from President Trump."
His lawyers say he stands by that statement — but only in reference to after June 2018, when he left a joint defense agreement with Trump, the news outlet reported. They also admit a previous attorney acting on behalf of Cohen did sound out the president's lawyers about a pardon.
The excuse did not fly with Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio and Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who have already asked the Justice Department to investigate if Cohen should face new charges over misleading the committee, the Times reported.
"They're walking back a claim made unequivocally under oath. 'Never' didn't really mean 'never.' Laughable," Meadows tweeted.