Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, has branded his former employer a "racist" and a "cheat", in a testimony to Congress about the current President of the United States.

Having worked as Trump's lawyer for years, Cohen has purportedly opened a window into Donald Trump's inner workings.

In a potentially historic address on Capitol Hill, Cohen started by testifying about his former employer. "Mr. Trump is a racist," he said.

"The country has seen Mr. Trump court white supremacists and bigots. You have heard him call foreign countries s**tholes. In private, he is even worse," testified Cohen per CNN, recalling a story of himself and Trump driving through an underprivileged neighbourhood in Chicago, Illinois.

"He once asked me if I could name a country run by a black wasn't that wasn't a s**thole. This was when Barack Obama was President of the United States. And while we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that only black people could live that way. And he told me that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid."

Cohen went on to say that despite working for Trump for over a decade, the lawyer (who has now been disbarred in the state of New York) expressed his regret in agreeing to become the 71-year-old's personal lawyer, branding Trump a "racist", a conman and a "cheat".

"I regret the day I said yes to Mr. Trump," Cohen said in the clip above, saying he ignored his own conscience in order to carry out the president's instructions, expressing particular regret for the manner in which the 2016 Presidential Election unfolded.

"Never in a million years did I imagine when I accepted a job in 2007 to work for Donald Trump that he would one day run for the presidency, to launch a campaign on a platform of hate and intolerance and actively win. 

I am ashamed of my weakness and my misplaced loyalty, of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him. 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."

Although Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are both overseas at the moment, there was support in the form of Lynne Patton, a high-ranking political official in the Department of Housing and Urban Development who has a long history with the Trumps, going as far as planning Eric Trump's wedding in 2014.

Before the hearing took place, Patton tweeted her support for Trump, and argued: "The truth is that it doesn’t take you 15 years to call someone a racist. Unless they’re not one."

Michael Cohen continues to testify live before Congress.

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, has branded his former employer a "racist" and a "cheat", in a testimony to Congress about the current President of the United States.

Having worked as Trump's lawyer for years, Cohen has purportedly opened a window into Donald Trump's inner workings.

In a potentially historic address on Capitol Hill, Cohen started by testifying about his former employer. "Mr. Trump is a racist," he said.

"The country has seen Mr. Trump court white supremacists and bigots. You have heard him call foreign countries s**tholes. In private, he is even worse," testified Cohen per CNN, recalling a story of himself and Trump driving through an underprivileged neighbourhood in Chicago, Illinois.

"He once asked me if I could name a country run by a black wasn't that wasn't a s**thole. This was when Barack Obama was President of the United States. And while we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that only black people could live that way. And he told me that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid."

Cohen went on to say that despite working for Trump for over a decade, the lawyer (who has now been disbarred in the state of New York) expressed his regret in agreeing to become the 71-year-old's personal lawyer, branding Trump a "racist", a conman and a "cheat".

"I regret the day I said yes to Mr. Trump," Cohen said in the clip above, saying he ignored his own conscience in order to carry out the president's instructions, expressing particular regret for the manner in which the 2016 Presidential Election unfolded.

"Never in a million years did I imagine when I accepted a job in 2007 to work for Donald Trump that he would one day run for the presidency, to launch a campaign on a platform of hate and intolerance and actively win. 

I am ashamed of my weakness and my misplaced loyalty, of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him. 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."

Although Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are both overseas at the moment, there was support in the form of Lynne Patton, a high-ranking political official in the Department of Housing and Urban Development who has a long history with the Trumps, going as far as planning Eric Trump's wedding in 2014.

Before the hearing took place, Patton tweeted her support for Trump, and argued: "The truth is that it doesn’t take you 15 years to call someone a racist. Unless they’re not one."

Michael Cohen continues to testify live before Congress.