Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter

The Republican strategy for responding to Cohen’s testimony has been clear from the beginning.

They want to paint the former lawyer as a convicted liar who can’t be trusted on any count. They’re less concerned about rebutting the individual allegations – about Trump Tower, Russia business dealings, hush-money payments or WikiLeaks revelations – than they are in dismissing Cohen’s testimony as the work of an untruthful man being put forward by enemies of the president for political purposes.

Congressman Paul Gosar went so far as to hold up a large sign with "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!!" emblazoned over a picture of the witness.

Cohen has tried to parry these charges multiple ways. One is to claim that he has come to the realisation, after Trump’s performance as president, of how damaging his support of his former boss has been. He cited the Charlottesville violence, the Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin and the president’s coarseness on Twitter as prime examples. That could be a tough sell, however, given the litany of allegations Cohen has levelled against Trump that predate his time as president.

A more effective counter has been when Cohen has tried to hold himself up as a cautionary tale – that he is making amends because his life has come crashing down and not the other way around.

"I protected Trump for 10 years," he told the committee. "The more people that follow Mr Trump as I did blindly are going to suffer the same consequences that I’m suffering."

He called himself the "picture perfect example of what not to do".

Cohen isn’t going to convince many that he’s a saint or a sympathetic figure. When he’s been his most effective on Wednesday is when he hasn’t tried to.

Takeaways from testimony of Trump's ex-lawyer

Harley Rouda, California Democrat, sticks to the topic of "convicted Russian mobster" Felix Sater.

He notes Trump has distanced himself from Sater, claiming not to know him, but that it appears they had close dealings according to Cohen's testimony.

The congressman asks Cohen where files about Sater's involvement with the Trump Organization might be found.

Cohen says they're "in the possession of the Trump Organization", probably in a box in an offsite storage facility.

Cohen says he is not aware of any other Trump connections to mobsters.

"Have you had any foreign contracts with foreign entities?" says Congressman Meadows, insisting that Cohen broke the law by not disclosing contact with foreign governments.

"They're privately or publicly traded companies," Cohen says.

Meadows says it does not matter, and that he was just supposed to list any "foreign contracts" he has, despite not being a government employee.

After an argumentative back-and-forth, Meadows says it is "just one more example of skirting the truth".

Cohen says he'll look into that, and might amend the disclosure document before leaving Congress today.

Raskin asks Cohen why Trump tried to hide his relationship with Felix Sater, the Russian-born businessman Cohen was in touch with about building Trump Tower Moscow.

Trump previously had a business relationship with Sater, Cohen confirms, but when things went south for Sater, he backed away.

"That's what Mr Trump does: He distances himself when things go bad for someone."

Democrat Jamie Raskin says Republicans are "upset because [Cohen] stopped lying to Congress for the president".

He starts off by asking: Does Cohen think the campaign ever stopped being about making money for the Trump Organization and family?

Yes, when Trump won, Cohen says. He added the campaign had to figure out what to do in Washington DC.

Cloud says: "I don't know, chairman, how we're supposed to ascertain the truth in this quagmire of a hearing when the best witness has been convicted of lying before us and what's sad is the American people have seen this play out before."

Cloud, like other Republicans, again brings up the fact that Cohen won't commit to saying no to any book deals.

Texas Republican Michael Cloud says someone is lying about whether or not Cohen ever sought a job in the White House.

"I did not want to go to the White House," Cohen says.

"I sat with Mr Trump for well over an hour, and explained the importance of having a personal attorney that every other president has had."

Cloud cites court documents which claim Cohen sought a White House job to accuse Cohen (or the special counsel) of lying.

Image source, Getty Images

Congressman Krishnamoorthi then tackles non-disclosure agreements (NDA).

He references a lawsuit filed by a former Trump Organization employee that calls the company's use of NDAs illegal, and asks Cohen if Trump wanted to "prevent people from coming forward with claims of wrongdoing".

Cohen say yes.

Were NDAs meant "keep people silent?"

"That was the goal," Cohen says.

Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi asks about the last time Cohen had contact with Trump or an agent of Trump.

Cohen replies he last communicated with Trump in early fall of last year, months after the FBI raided his apartment.

But he's been asked by the Southern District of New York not to discuss it further due to an ongoing investigation.

"Do you have any knowledge of President Trump abusing any controlled substances?" a congressman asks.

"I'm not aware of that, no," Cohen responds.

He says he also has no knowledge of Trump having arranged medical procedures for any women not in his family.

Democrat Connolly asks Cohen about a 16 May, 2017 meeting between himself, lawyer Jay Sekulow and Trump at the White House.

Cohen says he doesn't recall details off the top of his head - but was at the White House with Sekulow ahead of his appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

"He wanted me to co-operate," Cohen says of Trump.

"He also wanted to just ensure by making the statement and I said it in my statement, 'there is no Russia, there is no collusion, there is no deal.' He goes 'it's all a witch hunt' and he goes 'this stuff has to end'", Cohen says.

He adds that Trump had been making those comments for "many, many months"

"At the end of the day I knew exactly what he wanted me to say."

Sekulow was going to be representing Trump going forward, which is why he was in the meeting, Cohen says.

Did the president coach Cohen on how he was going to answer?

Cohen says it's difficult to answer.

"He doesn't tell you what he wants" - but he made clear the "message he wanted to reinforce".

Democrat Gerry Connolly of Virginia accuses Republicans of using "any trick in the book" to prevent Cohen's testimony from sticking.

He says claiming Cohen cannot testify honestly because he had lied in the past would render previous criminal trials in the US moot, since many rely on witnesses who turned.

Connolly then points out Republicans are trying to do "everything but focus on the principle known as "Individual no 1" - Trump.

Image source, Getty Images

"The president has told something over 9,000 lies to date," Cohen says, after he is again labelled a liar by a Republican.

"Do I go on to television to in order to correct [Trump's] mistakes? No," he says when asked about why he did not publicly correct a Buzzfeed news report from January 2019.

After a testy back-and-forth with Republican Jim Jordan, Chairman Cummings interrupts to allow Cohen to speak.

"I just find it interesting, sir, that between yourself and your [Republican] colleagues that not one question so far since I've been here has been asked about President Trump.

"That's actually why I thought I was coming here today," he says.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx of North Carolina reiterates the Republican anthem: Cohen is a liar.

"It seems to me that there's not much you won't lie about when you stand to gain from it."

She says she's concerned Cohen is using this platform for his personal benefit and asks him to commit that he will not pursue a book or movie deal based on his experiences with Trump.

"No," Cohen says.

"You cannot commit to making money off of a book or movie deal based on your work?"

Cohen will not commit.

He also refuses to say he won't take any television deals or political positions.

"You want to continue to use your background as a liar, a cheater, a convicted liar to make money," Foxx says.

A 10-minute break has been called, and so far it's been quite a show.

Republicans have branded Cohen as a disgraced liar and completely unreliable witness, getting into tense exchanges during questioning, while Democrats have pushed for details on Trump's finances and actions during his campaign.

Cohen has claimed so far:

• Trump lied about his finances to get loans
• Trump knew and directed hush money payments
• Trump repaid him while he was president for those hush payments
• Trump's personality makes him capable of collusion
• Trump never wanted to win the presidency, but ran as a "marketing opportunity"

Democratic super donor and frequent Trump critic Tom Steyer has denied claims by Republican committee members that he is paying for Cohen to testify today.

Cohen says "everybody's job at the Trump Organization is to protect Mr Trump".

"Every day most of us knew we were coming in and we were going to lie for him on something and that became the norm and that's exactly what's happening right now in this country and what's happening here in the government."

Cohen criticised the "destruction of our civility" and claimed the president's tweets about him, "bringing in my in-laws, my wife," were an effort to intimidate him into not testifying.