Citing threats to his family, U.S. President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and “fixer” Michael Cohen has indefinitely postponed his testimony to Congress, one of his lawyers Lanny J. Davis said in a statement on Wednesday. Mr. Cohen had agreed to testify before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on February 7.

“Due to ongoing threats against his family from President Trump and Mr. [Rudy] Giuliani, as recently as this weekend, as well as Mr. Cohen’s continued cooperation with ongoing investigations, by advice of counsel, Mr. Cohen’s appearance will be postponed to a later date,” Mr. Davis said.

Mr. Giuliani had told CNN over the weekend that Fima Schusterman, Mr. Cohen’s father-in-law, might have links to organised crime. Mr. Schusterman had pleaded guilty to a financial crime in 1993 related to his taxi medallion business.

Opaque dealings

Mr. Cohen’s testimony was expected to provide Congress more details about his opaque dealings on behalf of the President. Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to charges related to several crimes, including some related to Mr. Trump’s 2016 election.

In December, Mr. Trump had suggested that Mr. Cohen had made a deal with the authorities to keep his wife and father-in-law from going to jail.

“Lying to reduce his jail time! Watch father-in-law!” Mr. Trump had tweeted on January 18.

CNN reported in August last year that New York prosecutors had threatened Mr. Cohen with charges that would have implicated his wife — a reason, the report said, for his cooperation with authorities.

Congressional Democrats, however, are not giving up just yet. The option of compelling Mr. Cohen to testify after he goes to prison remained open, according to Chairman of the Oversight Committee, Democratic Representative Elijah J Cummings, who told reporters he believed Mr. Cohen was acting in good faith.

“We certainly understand the completely legitimate concerns for the safety and security of Mr. Cohen and his family members in light of the attacks last week by President Trump and again this past weekend by his attorney, Rudy Giuliani,” a joint statement issued by Mr. Cummings and the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Adam Schiff, said.

“Efforts to intimidate witnesses, scare their family members, or prevent them from testifying before Congress are textbook mob tactics that we condemn in the strongest terms,” the statement said.

However, Mr. Cummings said the House would get Mr. Cohen to testify. “I can guarantee: Whatever we have to do to get him here, we’re going to do it,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“I would say he’s been threatened by the truth,” Mr. Trump said, speaking to reporters on Mr. Cohen’s allegations. “He [Mr. Cohen] has other clients also, I assume, and he doesn’t want to tell the truth for me or other of his clients,” he added.

Mr. Cohen is scheduled to start a three-year prison sentence on March 6 as a result of the financial crimes to which he had pleaded guilty.