Trump’s ex-minder Lewandowski stonewalls Dems at impeachment hearing

The first impeachment hearing held by US House of Representatives Democrats quickly turned hostile on Wednesday.

Corey Lewandowski on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Picture: AP.

The first impeachment hearing held by US House of Representatives Democrats quickly turned hostile on Wednesday.

Their sole witness, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, stonewalled many of their questions and declared they were “focusing on petty and personal politics”.

Mr Lewandowski, a friend and supporter of Donald Trump, followed White House orders not to discuss conversations with the President beyond what was ­already public in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

Mr Trump cheered him along as he testified, tweeting that Mr Lewandowski’s opening statement was “beautiful”.

On Wednesday, Mr Lewandowski, who is considering a run for US Senate in New Hampshire, defiantly made clear he wouldn’t make life easy for the Democrats.

He demanded that they provide him a copy of the Mueller ­report, sending Democratic staff scrambling to find one. He read directly from the report and asked Democrats to read passages to him, showing that he wouldn’t say much beyond what Mr Mueller wrote. Republicans on the panel forced a series of procedural votes, immediately sending the hearing into disarray.

“He’s filibustering,” said ­judiciary committee chairman Jerrold Nadler.

Mr Lewandowski eventually began to answer some questions — he told the committee that he doesn’t think Mr Trump “asked me to do anything illegal” — but still stuck mostly to what was ­already in the report. And he made clear his dislike for the house majority in the opening statement, asserting that investigations of the President were conducted by “Trump haters”.

Mr Lewandowski was a central figure in Mr Mueller’s report, which the committee is examining. The report detailed two episodes in which Mr Trump asked Mr Lewandowski to direct then attorney-general Jeff Sessions to limit Mr Mueller’s investigation. He never delivered the message but asked White House aide Rick Dearborn, a former Sessions aide, to do it. Mr Dearborn declined to deliver it, according to the report.

Under questioning by Democrat Hank Johnson, Mr Lewandowski confirmed as “accurate” that Mr Trump had asked him to deliver the message.

At least two Democrats asked if he “chickened out”. Mr Lewandowski said no, that he took his kids to the beach instead.

The Republican-controlled Senate is certain to rebuff any house efforts to bring charges against the President.

Moderate Democrats have expressed nervousness that the impeachment push could crowd out their other accomplishments. And house Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the public sentiment isn’t yet there.

Republicans focused their ire on Mr Nadler and the Democrats. “They are going to bring back anybody, as much as they have to, to find something, anything to keep impeachment hopes alive,” John Ratcliffe told Mr Lewandowski during his round of questioning.

AP