Donald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen 'will comply' with US Senate subpoena, says lawyer

Washington: A Senate committee has subpoenaed US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, his attorney said Thursday, and Cohen intends to comply with the interview demand related to the Russia investigation.

The development comes one day after Cohen postponed his public testimony to a House committee.

Donald Trump's former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen. AP

Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Cohen, disclosed the subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee in a one-sentence statement, and later told The Associated Press in a text message that "we will comply and hope to agree upon reasonable terms, ground rules and a date."

Cohen is set to begin a three-year prison sentence in March.

Cohen earlier delayed his Feb. 7 appearance before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on the advice of his legal team, citing ongoing cooperation in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and threats against his family. Trump, along with his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, have publicly urged the Justice Department to investigate Cohen's father-in-law, insinuating the Cohen relative was part of some unspecific criminal activity.

"If he wants to criticize Cohen, he can," Davis said in an interview Thursday. "Obviously, picking on his family publicly is a way of silencing him or intimidating him. And certainly he has engendered great fear in his extended family, which is why we postponed it."

That decision pushed back the chance of a public airing on details of Cohen's relationship with Trump, including hush money payments that Cohen has admitted arranging to two women who say they had sex with the president. Trump has denied the allegation.

Democrats have suggested they may subpoena Cohen to compel his testimony and the committee's chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings, said Cohen could be brought from prison to appear before Congress.

"We will get his testimony," Cummings said.

The Senate committee did not immediately confirm the subpoena. It ordinarily holds its Russia-related hearings in private. It was not immediately clear when the committee wanted to meet with Cohen.

Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about his role in a Trump business proposal in Moscow during the campaign, and for his involvement in payments to a former Playboy model and porn actress.