Elaine Kamarck, of the Brookings Institution says "we're pretty much at the end of this process" as she discussed the next steps in the special prosecutors Russia probe.

Kamarack, Senior fellow in the Governance Studies program as well as the Director of the Center for Effective Public Management , said on Tuesday that "The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors."

In a related story The Associated Press reports that President Donald Trump has been calling the Russia probe a witch hunt for two years.

But now, Trump and his allies are starting to see it as something potentially very different: a political opportunity.

Trump has grown increasingly confident that special counsel Robert Mueller's report will produce no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and his election campaign.

A change is also underway among congressional Democrats, who had believed the report would offer damning evidence

Kamarack says "We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment."

Washington - 19 March 2019

1.Wide shot of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro walking out of White House into Rose Garden

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"It's not often that a president is subject to a special counsel and that means often that the findings of a special counsel could lead to something very dramatic like impeachment. Or it could just turn out to be a bunch of nothing. And so everybody was interested in this. Everybody was excited about it. The president himself was furious about it. But this is a big deal. We don't generally have investigations like this of sitting presidents."

3. Side shot of Trump speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors, which is the constitutional issue for impeachment, and so we're sort of down to the end game here. I mean it looks like there was a rapid string of indictments, trials, etc. It's possible that one or more of the president's children or in-laws could get indicted but it's, we're pretty much at the end of this process."

5. Trump speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The issue, though, is did the House and Senate, did the intelligence committees when they were controlled by Republicans ignore important pieces of evidence? The Democrats think they did. And so the Democrats will have to start their own investigation. They may find nothing as well."

Washington - 25 February 2019

7. STILL - The Capitol is seen in Washington as Congress returns to work following a week-long recess. A top House Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena documents and sue the Trump administration if the full report on Mueller's Russia investigation is not made public.

Washington - 06 March 2019

8. STILL - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., return to hear Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, testify before a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill

Washington - 19 March 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there, the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment? Now, Nancy Pelosi has said, wisely I think, that probably not that. There's just not unless there's some blockbuster finding in the Muller report or someplace else. Probably not because bet we're almost at 2020. Let, it's cleaner, easier for democracy to let the voters decide."

Washington - 06 March 2019

10. STILL - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., with Ranking Member Doug Collins

Washington - 19 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"This investigation has taken place simultaneously with a very chaotic presidency and with a separate investigation into Donald Trump's business empire. Now it may not be impeachable to be a corrupt businessman. All you have to do is look at the Deutsche Bank story in today's (New York) Times and you can see that that's that's going to be a big story. But maybe it's not impeachable but it sure isn't desirable."

12. STILL - President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade of the White House, towards the Rose Garden with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Elaine Kamarck, of the Brookings Institution says "we're pretty much at the end of this process" as she discussed the next steps in the special prosecutors Russia probe.

Kamarack, Senior fellow in the Governance Studies program as well as the Director of the Center for Effective Public Management , said on Tuesday that "The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors."

In a related story The Associated Press reports that President Donald Trump has been calling the Russia probe a witch hunt for two years.

But now, Trump and his allies are starting to see it as something potentially very different: a political opportunity.

Trump has grown increasingly confident that special counsel Robert Mueller's report will produce no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and his election campaign.

A change is also underway among congressional Democrats, who had believed the report would offer damning evidence

Kamarack says "We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment."

Washington - 19 March 2019

1.Wide shot of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro walking out of White House into Rose Garden

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"It's not often that a president is subject to a special counsel and that means often that the findings of a special counsel could lead to something very dramatic like impeachment. Or it could just turn out to be a bunch of nothing. And so everybody was interested in this. Everybody was excited about it. The president himself was furious about it. But this is a big deal. We don't generally have investigations like this of sitting presidents."

3. Side shot of Trump speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors, which is the constitutional issue for impeachment, and so we're sort of down to the end game here. I mean it looks like there was a rapid string of indictments, trials, etc. It's possible that one or more of the president's children or in-laws could get indicted but it's, we're pretty much at the end of this process."

5. Trump speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The issue, though, is did the House and Senate, did the intelligence committees when they were controlled by Republicans ignore important pieces of evidence? The Democrats think they did. And so the Democrats will have to start their own investigation. They may find nothing as well."

Washington - 25 February 2019

7. STILL - The Capitol is seen in Washington as Congress returns to work following a week-long recess. A top House Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena documents and sue the Trump administration if the full report on Mueller's Russia investigation is not made public.

Washington - 06 March 2019

8. STILL - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., return to hear Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, testify before a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill

Washington - 19 March 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there, the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment? Now, Nancy Pelosi has said, wisely I think, that probably not that. There's just not unless there's some blockbuster finding in the Muller report or someplace else. Probably not because bet we're almost at 2020. Let, it's cleaner, easier for democracy to let the voters decide."

Washington - 06 March 2019

10. STILL - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., with Ranking Member Doug Collins

Washington - 19 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"This investigation has taken place simultaneously with a very chaotic presidency and with a separate investigation into Donald Trump's business empire. Now it may not be impeachable to be a corrupt businessman. All you have to do is look at the Deutsche Bank story in today's (New York) Times and you can see that that's that's going to be a big story. But maybe it's not impeachable but it sure isn't desirable."

12. STILL - President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade of the White House, towards the Rose Garden with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Elaine Kamarck, of the Brookings Institution says "we're pretty much at the end of this process" as she discussed the next steps in the special prosecutors Russia probe.

Kamarack, Senior fellow in the Governance Studies program as well as the Director of the Center for Effective Public Management , said on Tuesday that "The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors."

In a related story The Associated Press reports that President Donald Trump has been calling the Russia probe a witch hunt for two years.

But now, Trump and his allies are starting to see it as something potentially very different: a political opportunity.

Trump has grown increasingly confident that special counsel Robert Mueller's report will produce no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and his election campaign.

A change is also underway among congressional Democrats, who had believed the report would offer damning evidence

Kamarack says "We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment."

Washington - 19 March 2019

1.Wide shot of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro walking out of White House into Rose Garden

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"It's not often that a president is subject to a special counsel and that means often that the findings of a special counsel could lead to something very dramatic like impeachment. Or it could just turn out to be a bunch of nothing. And so everybody was interested in this. Everybody was excited about it. The president himself was furious about it. But this is a big deal. We don't generally have investigations like this of sitting presidents."

3. Side shot of Trump speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors, which is the constitutional issue for impeachment, and so we're sort of down to the end game here. I mean it looks like there was a rapid string of indictments, trials, etc. It's possible that one or more of the president's children or in-laws could get indicted but it's, we're pretty much at the end of this process."

5. Trump speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"The issue, though, is did the House and Senate, did the intelligence committees when they were controlled by Republicans ignore important pieces of evidence? The Democrats think they did. And so the Democrats will have to start their own investigation. They may find nothing as well."

Washington - 25 February 2019

7. STILL - The Capitol is seen in Washington as Congress returns to work following a week-long recess. A top House Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena documents and sue the Trump administration if the full report on Mueller's Russia investigation is not made public.

Washington - 06 March 2019

8. STILL - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., return to hear Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, testify before a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill

Washington - 19 March 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there, the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment? Now, Nancy Pelosi has said, wisely I think, that probably not that. There's just not unless there's some blockbuster finding in the Muller report or someplace else. Probably not because bet we're almost at 2020. Let, it's cleaner, easier for democracy to let the voters decide."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP Clients Only

Washington - 06 March 2019

10. STILL - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., with Ranking Member Doug Collins

Washington - 19 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:

"This investigation has taken place simultaneously with a very chaotic presidency and with a separate investigation into Donald Trump's business empire. Now it may not be impeachable to be a corrupt businessman. All you have to do is look at the Deutsche Bank story in today's (New York) Times and you can see that that's that's going to be a big story. But maybe it's not impeachable but it sure isn't desirable."

12. STILL - President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade of the White House, towards the Rose Garden with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

The report by BuzzFeed News, citing two unnamed law enforcement officials, says that Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress and that Cohen regularly briefed Trump on the Moscow project. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the report.

The House intelligence committee chairman Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff said he will do what is necessary to confirm the report.

The story also says, citing the sources, that Cohen told special counsel Robert Mueller that Trump personally instructed him to lie about the timing of the project in order to obscure Trump's involvement.

The BuzzFeed story says that Mueller's investigators learned about Trump's directive "through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents." The report says that Cohen then acknowledged Trump's instructions when he was interviewed by the Mueller team.

Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis didn't weigh in one way or the other whether this story was true but Lanny Davis simply said that "Michael Cohen is is someone who is full of regret for his longtime employment with President Trump. He worked for him for about a decade," according to AP White House reporter Jonathan Lemire.

Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, scoffed at the report, saying in a statement to the Associated Press "that if this story was true I have the Brooklyn Bridge to sell you and suggested that it was not the case. This had never occurred."

On Twitter Friday morning, Trump charged that Michael Cohen is "Lying to reduce his jail time!" even though he's already been sentenced. On Fox News Channel, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said that taking the story seriously was "absolutely ludicrous," but repeatedly refused to deny the central allegation that Trump directed Cohen to lie.

Cohen already pleaded guilty in November to lying to Congress to cover up that he was negotiating the Trump Tower project in Moscow on Trump's behalf during the heat of his presidential campaign. The charge was brought by Mueller and was the result of his cooperation with that probe.

He was then sentenced in December to three years in prison for crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to conceal his boss' alleged sexual affairs, telling a judge that he agreed time and again to cover up Trump's "dirty deeds" out of "blind loyalty."

Cohen is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee Feb. 7, where he will likely be questioned about the report.

++SOUNDBITES PARTIALLY COVERED BY VIDEO++

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY A WHITE FLASH++

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 18 January 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Lemire, Associated Press White House Reporter:

"Late Thursday night BuzzFeed News broke a story that reports, according to some of their sources, that President Trump instructed his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to lie on his behalf. To lie to Congress about the president's involvement with a real estate deal in Russia. Now it should be pointed out very carefully, The Associated Press has not confirmed this reporting yet. No other mainstream news outlet has as well. But lawmakers are responding. And It is certainly a major story today, Friday."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE: New York - 12 December 2018

2. Michael Cohen exiting court after being sentenced to prison

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE: Washington - 29 November 2018

3. President Donald Trump walks out to talk to reporters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 18 January 2019

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Lemire, Associated Press White House Reporter:

"The new story suggests that the Donald Trump's involvement with the project did not end in 2015 or early 2016 as he initially had said but instead continued that the president and his family members including his adult children Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Junior who also worked at Trump Organization were getting updates throughout 2016. And that after the election, when Donald Trump was then president-elect he instructed Michael Cohen to lie about this to try to minimize Donald Trump's own involvement with the project. The BuzzFeed story goes on to say that as Michael Cohen was preparing to testify before Congress he again talked to the White House and Donald Trump who said to lie about that project."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE: Cleveland, Ohio - 21 July 2016

5. President Donald Trump at the RNC rehearsal, Ivanka and Paul Manfort off to the side

POOL

ARCHIVE: Fletcher, North Carolina - 21 October 2016

6. Donald Trump walks into campaign rally

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE: New York - 12 December 2018

7. Cohen exiting court after being sentenced to three years in prison

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 18 January 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Lemire, Associated Press White House Reporter:

"If this is true then this means the president urged a witness to lie under oath before Congress, which would appear to be a pretty clear example of obstruction of justice which of course is a significant not potentially criminal charge but perhaps impeachable offense."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE: Washington - 29 November 2018

9. President Trump walks away from talking to press

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 18 January 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Lemire, Associated Press White House Reporter:

"Democratic lawmakers are seizing upon this. Adam Schiff who's the new chair of the House Intelligence Committee and others say that the House, the Congress will investigate these charges and if they feel that if true, I believe just phrase were, this would be the most serious offense yet. He suggests that these are the some of the most serious allegation the president currently faces and it is something that will stir up talk of impeachment."

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Lemire, Associated Press White House Reporter:

"So, it should be pointed out that the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani who's his lawyer for the Russia investigation gave a statement to me at the Associated Press saying that if this story was true I have basically I have the Brooklyn Bridge to sell you and suggested that it was not the case. This had never occurred."

Democrats on the House intelligence committee are sharply disagreeing with Republicans on the panel who say they don't see any evidence of collusion or coordination between President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.

The top Democrat on the panel said Tuesday there is "significant evidence" of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia. California Rep. Adam Schiff said Democrats are writing their own report with conclusions from the intelligence panel's yearlong investigation into Russian meddling.

Republicans announced Monday that they'd completed the committee's report and they saw no evidence of collusion. Democrats saw that report for the first time Tuesday.

The House panel is one of several congressional committees looking into the meddling. Special counsel Robert Mueller is conducting a separate criminal probe.

POOL

Washington - 13 March 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"Last night the majority on the Intelligence Committee made the decision to prematurely shut down the Russian investigation. The only authorized investigation in the House of Representatives into what the Russians did in the last election, what the U.S. government response was, and the issue of any coordination or collusion with the Trump campaign. That was a terrible disservice to the country and the American people, and represented a reneging on the commitment that was made at the outset of the investigation to follow the facts wherever they lead."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"We will be putting together a report that will set out for the country what evidence we have seen to date, of what evidence we have seen in terms of the Russian hacking and dumping operation, what evidence we have seen in terms of the Russian social media campaign, their paid media campaign, and yes the issue of collusion with the Trump campaign. There is significant evidence, much of it in the public domain, on the issue of collusion."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"Sadly, from a very early point in the investigation, the chairman made the decision that his mission was not to find out what Russia did, not to determine the role of U.S. persons, but rather to endeavor to distract the public to put the government on trial. That problem persisted throughout our investigation and has led to its premature conclusion last night. But the work is too important to leave undone. In particular, the American people need to know whether the Russians still have something they can hold over the president's head, the president of the United States. So our work is far from done, and we will be submitting to the public a detailed account of what we have learned to date, and the work that has to be done if not by us then by others."

4. Schiff and group leave podium

Democrats on the House intelligence committee are sharply disagreeing with Republicans on the panel who say they don't see any evidence of collusion or coordination between President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.

The top Democrat on the panel said Tuesday there is "significant evidence" of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia. California Rep. Adam Schiff said Democrats are writing their own report with conclusions from the intelligence panel's yearlong investigation into Russian meddling.

Republicans announced Monday that they'd completed the committee's report and they saw no evidence of collusion. Democrats saw that report for the first time Tuesday.

The House panel is one of several congressional committees looking into the meddling. Special counsel Robert Mueller is conducting a separate criminal probe.

POOL

Washington - 13 March 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"Last night the majority on the Intelligence Committee made the decision to prematurely shut down the Russian investigation. The only authorized investigation in the House of Representatives into what the Russians did in the last election, what the U.S. government response was, and the issue of any coordination or collusion with the Trump campaign. That was a terrible disservice to the country and the American people, and represented a reneging on the commitment that was made at the outset of the investigation to follow the facts wherever they lead."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"We will be putting together a report that will set out for the country what evidence we have seen to date, of what evidence we have seen in terms of the Russian hacking and dumping operation, what evidence we have seen in terms of the Russian social media campaign, their paid media campaign, and yes the issue of collusion with the Trump campaign. There is significant evidence, much of it in the public domain, on the issue of collusion."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"Sadly, from a very early point in the investigation, the chairman made the decision that his mission was not to find out what Russia did, not to determine the role of U.S. persons, but rather to endeavor to distract the public to put the government on trial. That problem persisted throughout our investigation and has led to its premature conclusion last night. But the work is too important to leave undone. In particular, the American people need to know whether the Russians still have something they can hold over the president's head, the president of the United States. So our work is far from done, and we will be submitting to the public a detailed account of what we have learned to date, and the work that has to be done if not by us then by others."

4. Schiff and group leave podium

Democrats on the House intelligence committee are sharply disagreeing with Republicans on the panel who say they don't see any evidence of collusion or coordination between US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.

The top Democrat on the panel said Tuesday there is "significant evidence" of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.

California Rep. Adam Schiff said Democrats are writing their own report with conclusions from the intelligence panel's yearlong investigation into Russian meddling.

Republicans announced Monday that they'd completed the committee's report and they saw no evidence of collusion.

The finding enraged Democrats, who say Republicans are protecting the president by cutting the probe short.

Democrats saw that report for the first time Tuesday.

The House panel is one of several congressional committees looking into the meddling.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is conducting a separate criminal probe.

++NO CUTAWAYS / SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

POOL

Washington DC - 13 March 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"Last night the majority on the Intelligence Committee made the decision to prematurely shut down the Russian investigation. The only authorized investigation in the House of Representatives into what the Russians did in the last election, what the U.S. government response was, and the issue of any coordination or collusion with the Trump campaign. That was a terrible disservice to the country and the American people, and represented a reneging on the commitment that was made at the outset of the investigation to follow the facts wherever they lead."

++BLACK FRAMES++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"We will be putting together a report that will set out for the country what evidence we have seen to date. What evidence we have seen in terms of the Russian hacking and dumping operation, what evidence we have seen in terms of the Russian social media campaign, their paid media campaign, and yes the issue of collusion with the Trump campaign. There is significant evidence, much of it in the public domain, on the issue of collusion."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:

"Sadly, from a very early point in the investigation, the chairman made the decision that his mission was not to find out what Russia did, not to determine the role of U.S. persons, but rather to endeavor to distract the public to put the government on trial. That problem persisted throughout our investigation and has led to its premature conclusion last night. But the work is too important to leave undone. In particular, the American people need to know whether the Russians still have something they can hold over the president's head, the president of the United States. So our work is far from done and we will be submitting to the public a detailed account of what we have learned to date, and the work that has to be done if not by us then by others."

4. Schiff and group leave podium

US President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, will testify publicly before a House committee next month in a hearing that could serve as the opening salvo of a promised Democratic effort to scrutinise Trump, his conflicts of interest and his ties to Russia.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee announced on Thursday that Cohen will testify before that panel on 7 February, a little more than a month after the Democrats took the House majority.

The hearing marks the latest step in Cohen's transformation from a trusted legal adviser to the president to a public antagonist who has cooperated extensively against him.

It is likely to pull back the curtain on key episodes involving Trump's personal life and business dealings, including hush-money payments to women and a proposed Moscow real estate deal that federal prosecutors have been dissecting for months.

The chairman of the oversight panel, Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said the committee is consulting with Mueller's office about the testimony.

He said "there will be limitations" on the topics covered in Cohen's testimony.

The oversight hearing may not be Cohen's only appearance.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-California, said he welcomes Cohen's testimony before the oversight panel, but "he is going to need to answer questions about the Russia investigation".

Schiff said that his office has been in negotiations with Cohen’s legal team for some time and “hope to wrap it up soon".

ARCHIVE: Washington, DC - 29 November 2018

1. Michael Cohen, former attorney for US President Donald Trump, walking out of court

Washington, DC - 10 January 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Representative Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"We're going to make sure that we do absolutely nothing to interfere with the Mueller investigation. That is very, very important to us. But I can tell you that as far, if Adam (Schiff), he's right so that's fine. But we're going to have a lot more comments coming out later on. Right now my major concern is making sure that our government is opened up."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Representative Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"But as far as this hearing is concerned, we put out our statement. It's a very limited statement and we plan to do what the American people have asked us to do, and that is to conduct hearings with integrity, with transparency, with honesty, and most importantly accountability."

++BLACK FRAMES++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Representative Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"I think people need to, the American people will have an opportunity to hear from him, from Mr. Cohen. And their representatives, that is representatives on the Republican side and the Democrat side, will have an opportunity to ask him questions. And I think the American people will see that their votes did matter and that we opened it up for transparency."

++BLACK FRAMES++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Representative Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"We are in search of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And so that's where we stand. And that's all I have to say."

++BLACK FRAMES++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Representative Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"We welcome his testimony before the Congress. It's my understanding that he doesn't intend to address the Russian investigation in his open testimony. He is going to need to answer questions about it and we are in contact with the attorney. We hope that he will come in voluntarily to testify before the Intel Committee in closed session. So we have been in negotiation with that, about that for some time and we hope to wrap that up soon."

++BLACK FRAMES++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Representative Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"He hasn't agreed but I think there is a good likelihood, I hope that he will. We would like to have him come in voluntarily testimony but at the end of the day there are questions he needs to answer. He testified once before our committee, he wasn't fully forthcoming. He's accepted responsibility for that. But that has raised questions that we need answered."

++BLACK FRAMES++

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Representative Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"I don't want to make representations on behalf of the Special Counsel. We will obviously be in consultation with the Special Counsel about his testimony before our committee but we need to get a full accounting of what took place. He is in a unique position to help us do that. And so we look forward to having his testimony before our committee."

ARCHIVE: Washington, DC - 29 November 2018

9. Cohen walking with lawyer from court, surrounded by media

President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, will testify publicly before a House committee next month in a hearing that could serve as the opening salvo of a promised Democratic effort to scrutinize Trump, his conflicts of interest and his ties to Russia.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee announced Thursday that Cohen will testify before that panel February 7, a little more than a month after the Democrats took the House majority.

The hearing marks the latest step in Cohen's transformation from a trusted legal adviser to the president to a public antagonist who has cooperated extensively against him.

It is likely to pull back the curtain on key episodes involving Trump's personal life and business dealings, including hush-money payments to women and a proposed Moscow real estate deal, that federal prosecutors have been dissecting for months.

The chairman of the oversight panel, Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said the committee is consulting with Mueller's office about the testimony.

He said "there will be limitations" on the topics covered in Cohen's testimony.

“We are going to make sure that we do absolutely nothing to interfere with the Mueller investigation,” Cummings said. “That is absolutely important to us.”

The oversight hearing may not be Cohen's only appearance.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he welcomes Cohen's testimony before the oversight panel, but "he is going to need to answer questions about the Russia investigation.”

Schiff said that his office has been in negotiations with Cohen’s legal team for some time and “hope to wrap it up soon.”

Washington DC - 29 November 2018

1. Former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen walking out of court

Washington DC - 10 January 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"We going to, we're going to make sure that we do absolutely nothing to Interfere with the Mueller investigation. That is very, very important to us. But I can tell you that as far, he's right so that's fine. But we're going to have a lot more comments coming out later on. Right now my major concern. Is making sure that our government is open up."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"But as far as this hearing is concerned, we put out a statement. It's a very limited statement and we plan to do what the American people have asked us to do, that is to conduct hearings with integrity, with transparency, with honesty and most importantly accountability."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"I think that, I think people need to, the American people have an opportunity to hear from him, Mr. Cohen. And their representatives, that is representatives on the Republican side and the Democrat side will have an opportunity to ask him questions. And I think the American people will see that it did matter, that their votes did matter and that we opened it up for transparency."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"We are in search of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And so that's where we stand. And that's all I have to say."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

6 . SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"We love to hear his testimony before the Congress. It's my understanding that he doesn't intend to address the Russian investigation is open testimony. He is going to need to answer questions about it and we are in contact with the attorney. We hope that will come in voluntarily to testify before the Intel Committee in a closed session. So we have been in negotiation with that, about that for some time and we hope to wrap that up soon."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"He hasn't agreed but I think there is a good likelihood, I hope that he will. We would like to have him come in voluntarily testimony but at the end of the day there are questions he needs to answer. He testified once before our committee, he wasn't fully forthcoming. He's accepted responsibility for that. But that has raised questions that we need answered."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"I don't want to make representations on behalf of Special Counsel. We will obviously be in consultation with Special Counsel about his testimony before our committee but, we need to get a full accounting of what took place. He is in a unique position to help us do that. And so we look forward to having his testimony before a committee."

Washington DC - 29 November 2018

9. Former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen walking with lawyer from court, surrounded by media

President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, will testify publicly before a House committee next month in a hearing that could serve as the opening salvo of a promised Democratic effort to scrutinize Trump, his conflicts of interest and his ties to Russia.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee announced Thursday that Cohen will testify before that panel February 7, a little more than a month after the Democrats took the House majority.

The hearing marks the latest step in Cohen's transformation from a trusted legal adviser to the president to a public antagonist who has cooperated extensively against him.

It is likely to pull back the curtain on key episodes involving Trump's personal life and business dealings, including hush-money payments to women and a proposed Moscow real estate deal, that federal prosecutors have been dissecting for months.

The chairman of the oversight panel, Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said the committee is consulting with Mueller's office about the testimony.

He said "there will be limitations" on the topics covered in Cohen's testimony.

“We are going to make sure that we do absolutely nothing to interfere with the Mueller investigation,” Cummings said. “That is absolutely important to us.”

The oversight hearing may not be Cohen's only appearance.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he welcomes Cohen's testimony before the oversight panel, but "he is going to need to answer questions about the Russia investigation.”

Schiff said that his office has been in negotiations with Cohen’s legal team for some time and “hope to wrap it up soon.”

Washington DC - 29 November 2018

1. Former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen walking out of court

Washington DC - 10 January 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"We going to, we're going to make sure that we do absolutely nothing to Interfere with the Mueller investigation. That is very, very important to us. But I can tell you that as far, he's right so that's fine. But we're going to have a lot more comments coming out later on. Right now my major concern. Is making sure that our government is open up."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"But as far as this hearing is concerned, we put out a statement. It's a very limited statement and we plan to do what the American people have asked us to do, that is to conduct hearings with integrity, with transparency, with honesty and most importantly accountability."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"I think that, I think people need to, the American people have an opportunity to hear from him, Mr. Cohen. And their representatives, that is representatives on the Republican side and the Democrat side will have an opportunity to ask him questions. And I think the American people will see that it did matter, that their votes did matter and that we opened it up for transparency."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland, Chairman of the House Oversight Panel:

"We are in search of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And so that's where we stand. And that's all I have to say."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

6 . SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"We love to hear his testimony before the Congress. It's my understanding that he doesn't intend to address the Russian investigation is open testimony. He is going to need to answer questions about it and we are in contact with the attorney. We hope that will come in voluntarily to testify before the Intel Committee in a closed session. So we have been in negotiation with that, about that for some time and we hope to wrap that up soon."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"He hasn't agreed but I think there is a good likelihood, I hope that he will. We would like to have him come in voluntarily testimony but at the end of the day there are questions he needs to answer. He testified once before our committee, he wasn't fully forthcoming. He's accepted responsibility for that. But that has raised questions that we need answered."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"I don't want to make representations on behalf of Special Counsel. We will obviously be in consultation with Special Counsel about his testimony before our committee but, we need to get a full accounting of what took place. He is in a unique position to help us do that. And so we look forward to having his testimony before a committee."

Washington DC - 29 November 2018

9. Former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen walking with lawyer from court, surrounded by media