WASHINGTON (AP) — The House intelligence committee chairman said he will "do what is necessary" to confirm a published report that President Donald Trump directed his personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations over a real estate project in Moscow during the 2016 election.

Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff of California says the allegation that Trump asked Cohen to lie "to curtail the investigation and cover up his business dealings with Russia is among the most serious to date."

The report by BuzzFeed News, citing two unnamed law enforcement officials, says that Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress and that Cohen regularly briefed Trump on the Moscow project. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the report.

An adviser to Cohen, Lanny Davis, declined to comment.