Trump Blames Cohen Hearing for Failure of North Korea Summit

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump has suggested that the Democrats’ decision to interview his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen on the day of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could have contributed to the fact that he walked away from the summit in the Vietnamese capital with no deal.

"For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the 'walk'", Trump said on Twitter.

For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the “walk.” Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 4 марта 2019 г.

Trump said on 28 February that Cohen had been incorrect in his testimony to Congress this week and had "lied a lot", adding that holding Cohen's hearing during the US-North Korea summit was wrong.

READ MORE: Most US Voters Doubt Credibility of Cohen's Congressional Testimony — Poll

Last week, Trump and Kim met in Hanoi for their second summit to try to negotiate a deal on North Korea's denuclearisation but the meeting ended with the US president walking away from the negotiations empty-handed. At the same time in Washington, Cohen was testifying before a congressional committee, labelling the US president a "racist" and "conman".

Cohen has been sentenced to three years in prison for financial crimes that include tax fraud and hush-money payments to two women Trump allegedly had affairs with in violation of campaign finance laws, as well as lying to Congress.