Lewandowski Testifies in House's Impeachment Hearings
The Primary: The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing regarding their impeachment investigation of President Trump. Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, testified.
Who? What? Why?: The scope of the impeachment investigation, which was formalized last week, includes “Trump's potential violations of the emoluments clause, hush money payments used to cover up alleged affairs and his alleged attempts to obstruct justice in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election,” per Axios. The focus of the committee’s questions for the Trump confidant surrounded Trump’s alleged request that Lewandowski deliver a message to then-AG Jeff Sessions that Mueller was being unfair to the president. This, Democratic lawmakers argue, could be grounds for obstruction of justice.
The Baseline: Democrats walked away from Lewandowski’s testimony with little new information, but Trump’s former campaign manager did confirm Trump asked him to pressure the Attorney General to "curtail the Russia investigation," per the NYT. The former campaign manager was combative, to say the least, and for his stonewalling, he received praise from Trump. The testimony continues a theme of Trump’s current and former team being uncooperative with Democratic lawmakers which could prove to be a roadblock for the committee’s investigation.
From the Left: Harry Litman of the Washington Post looks ahead, saying Lewandowski’s testimony is a scary warning of what may come in post-Trump America. Citing Lewandowski’s potential Senate bid, Litman says “Lewandowski presents the concrete possibility of Trump’s influence extending past his tenure, into a cadre of proudly 'Trumpian' political figures.”
From the Right: Tiana Lowe of the Washington Examiner asks liberal America “what the hell did you expect?.” Lowe argues that Lewandowski is a proven “thug and a jerk,” it only makes sense that he would behave the same way in his testimony as he always does.