Michael Cohen book proposal offered glowing praise of Trump, contradicted his congressional testimony

A manuscript from a book proposal authored by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen directly contradicts the testimony he gave before Congress on Wednesday. While Cohen told the House Oversight Committee that President Donald Trump was a "racist," a "conman," and a "cheat," his proposed book offered glowing praise and specifically said that Trump wasn't a "liar."

What did the book proposal say?

The Daily Mail claims to have seen a copy of a book proposal, under the working title "Trump Revolution: From The Tower to The White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump," that Cohen submitted last year to several publishers. He reportedly never signed a deal because he was holding out for more money.

In the book, Cohen listed names Trump had been called, including "liar," and then dismissed them. According to the Daily Mail:

He started his proposal with a list of unflattering barbs that have been thrown at Trump since he became Commander-in-Chief. 'Crazy'; 'Dumb'; 'Paranoid'; 'In Over His Head'; 'Liar'; 'Addicted to TV'; 'Hates the Media'.

'All of these things have been said about my longtime boss, Donald J. Trump,' Cohen added. 'None of it is true. Except maybe that last one – about the media. Trump does believe that reporters are out to get him, and for a very good reason. Many of them are.

'That doesn't make him paranoid,' wrote Cohen. 'That makes him a realist.'

This stands in stark contrast to Cohen's testimony on Wednesday, where he said in his opening statement:

I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump's illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience.
I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is.
He is a racist.
He is a conman.
He is a cheat.

What else?

Cohen also bragged about what he saw as his own expertise and versatility:

Most of my work took place behind the scenes. Unless it was the sort of situation that required me to come through the front door with a wrecking ball, that is – in which case my involvement was pretty obvious.

No issue was too big, too sticky or too oddball for me to tackle. I saw it all, handled it all. And still do.

A CNN interview from 2016 also contradicts Cohen's testimony

During Cohen's hearing, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) accused Cohen of being vindictive toward Trump because he had never been offered a White House job. Cohen vehemently denied this accusation, saying the he had been "offered jobs," but "did not want to go to the White House.

After the hearing, a CNN panel quickly observed that the network had reported on multiple occasions that Cohen had wanted to get a White House job.

One of these instances was in 2016, when Cohen told CNN New Day anchor Chris Cuomo that he hadn't "been asked" to work in the White House, but that he would "100 percent" go to Washington, D.C., with Trump.