lewandowski hearing when a real lawyer shows up

by Mr. Sylvan Okuneva 7 min read

What did Lewandowski say at his House Judiciary Committee hearing?

Mr. Lewandowski began his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee with remarks that sounded more like a campaign speech than testimony in a congressional investigation, signaling that he plans to use the hearing to burnish his own political brand while fiercely defending the president.

Did Lewandowski lie to the FBI about his conversations with Trump?

A Democratic committee lawyer got Mr. Lewandowski to admit to having lied publicly about his conversations with Mr. Trump. Lewandowski: Somebody in the Trump campaign (besides me) should have called the F.B.I. about Russians.

What did Corey Lewandowski say when asked about Oval Office meeting?

When Representative Jerrold Nadler, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, asked Corey Lewandowski about an Oval Office meeting with President Trump, the president’s former campaign chairman stalled the proceedings. “Could you read the exact language of the report, sir? I don’t have it available to me.”

Did Lewandowski give Democrats'what they need today for impeachment?

Former Republican congressman David Jolly told MSNBC on Tuesday evening that Lewandowski gave Democrats "what they needed today for an article of impeachment against the president of the United States for obstruction of justice."

image

What is the Lewandowski hearing?

The Lewandowski hearing is a reflection of two things: (1) legal uncertainty about the scope of executive privilege, and (2) an administration willing to push all ambiguities in nearly all circumstances because it perceives no political costs associated with its actions and recognizes that Congress has no simple, uncontroversial and effective recourse. Importantly, the costs of delay here are borne entirely by Congress, not the administration; if Congress spends months litigating and ultimately wins, the administration is no worse off than if it had simply complied with the subpoena in the first instance.

Who testified in the impeachment hearing?

On Sept. 17, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski testified before the House Judiciary Committee in an impeachment investigation hearing titled “Presidential Obstruction of Justice and Abuse of Power.” He had been subpoenaed by the committee to testify, along with Rick Dearborn (former White House deputy chief of staff) and Rob Porter (former White House staff secretary). All three play key roles in parts of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, submitted to Congress last April, on Russian interference in the 2016 election and the president’s efforts to impede that investigation.

What was the first type of privilege asserted by the White House?

The first type—an assertion of presidential communications privilege—represents the core of executive privilege that was first recognized in U.S. v. Nixon. As John Bies’s primer on the subject notes, protecting the confidentiality of communications between presidents and their senior advisers serves to protect candor in presidential deliberations. The relevant letter from Cippollone to Nadler asserts that:

Do Dearborn and Porter have to show up for a hearing?

Letters provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) to the White House the day before the hearing assert that both Dearborn and Porter are “absolutely immune” from any compelled congressional testimony in their capacities as former advisers to the president, meaning that the two do not even have to show up at a hearing. The letters state that these claims of “testimonial immunity” are “rooted in the separation of powers and derive [] from the President’s status as the head of a separate, co-equal branch of government.” The substantive argument is that, because the president’s advisers serve as his alter ego, compelling them to testify would undercut the independence and autonomy of the presidency. Lawfare contributor Jonathan Shaub has written extensively, here, here and here, on how prior administrations have framed and applied the theory of testimonial immunity.

When is the next hearing for Corey Lewandowski?

Barry Berke asks probing questions of Corey Lewandowski at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on September 17, 2019, in Washington D.C. Congress.

Who told Sessions he would be fired if he did not meet with him?

At a follow-up meeting, Trump instructed Lewandowski —who had arranged for someone else to deliver the message in the future—to tell Sessions that if he would not meet with him, he would be fired. Lewandowski made notes of both discussions with Trump and kept them in a safe.

Who was the lawyer who grilled the Trump campaign manager?

Barry Berke was the unexpected star of Corey Lewandowski's fractious congressional hearing, after the criminal defense lawyer grilled the Trump 2016 campaign manager at the end of an hours-long session that had, until then, been a masterclass in partisanship and stonewalling.

What did Lewandowski say in his opening statement?

Lewandowski used his opening statement to attack Democratic members of the committee, criticize Obama-era intelligence officials for not doing enough to stop Russian meddling, and stoke conspiracies about “Trump haters” in the government that wanted to bring down Trump.

Who testified in the Lewandowski case?

The committee also subpoenaed former White House aides Rick Dearborn and Rob Porter to appear Tuesday to testify about their role in the Lewandowski incident, and other matters that were mentioned in the Mueller report.

How many episodes of obstruction of justice did Mueller investigate?

Mueller investigated 10 episodes involving Trump for potential obstruction of justice, and the incident with Lewandowski was one of those episodes. In the report, prosecutors analyzed whether each incident checked the three boxes needed to typically bring an obstruction charge.

Why did Trump order Sessions to stop the Mueller investigation?

He confirmed that Trump told him to order then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to curtail the Mueller investigation so that it would only look for future election meddling – and stop probing his 2016 campaign.

Who was the Trump campaign manager who refused to answer questions about obstruction of justice?

See the questions Lewandowski refused to answer. President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski antagonized Democrats and stonewalled their questions about obstruction of justice during the first official impeachment-related hearing on Capitol Hill in the wake of the Russia investigation. The roughly six-hour House Judiciary ...

Did Lewandowski answer questions from Democrats?

By and large, Lewandowski refused to answer questions from Democrats. The White House had sent a letter on Monday to the committee saying that it was directing Lewandowski not to answer questions about his conversations with Trump, beyond what is in the Mueller report.

Who called Sheila Jackson Lee's questioning a rant?

Lewandowski calls Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's questioning 'just a rant'. During a brief recess, Lewandowski ’s posted a link on Twitter to a new website that is promoting his potential Senate campaign next year in New Hampshire.

Corey Lewandowski confirmed Mr. Trump asked him to pressure the attorney general, but says the president never asked him to do anything illegal

Mr. Lewandowski, under sharp questioning by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, confirmed that Mr. Trump had once asked him to help pressure Attorney General Jeff Sessions to curtail the scope of the Russia investigation, but said he did not believe he had been asked to do anything illegal.

A Democratic committee lawyer got Mr. Lewandowski to admit to having lied publicly about his conversations with Mr. Trump

At the tail-end of the hearing, Barry H. Berke, a well-regarded white-collar defense attorney who has taken a leave from his New York law firm to consult for the committee, unleashed a rapid-fire cross-examination in which he quickly established that Mr.

Lewandowski: Somebody in the Trump campaign (besides me) should have called the F.B.I. about Russians

As the manager of the Trump campaign in 2016, Mr. Lewandowski received numerous messages from campaign staff about attempts by Russians to make contact with the campaign.

Lewandowski Delivers Opening Remarks Before Testimony

I had the privilege — and it was a privilege — of helping transform the Trump campaign from a dedicated but small makeshift organization to a historical and unprecedented political juggernaut.

Mr. Trump watched the hearing from Air Force One, cheering on Mr. Lewandowski as he spoke

As Mr. Trump traveled from New Mexico to California on Tuesday afternoon, he had the televisions aboard Air Force One tuned into the hearing, according to people familiar with what was taking place.

image