Corey Lewandowski: "I have no obligation to be honest with the media"
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Under questioning from counsel Barry Berke during the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearing on Tuesday, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was forced to defend a video in which he appeared to lie to MSNBC host Ari Melber.
BERKE: Did you hear that, sir? That's you saying on MSNBC, you "don't ever remember the president ever asking you to get involved with Jeff Sessions or the Department of Justice in any way, shape or form." That wasn't true, was it sir?
LEWANDOWSKI: I have no obligation to be honest to the media because they're just as dishonest as anybody else.
BERKE: So you're admitting, sir, you were not being truthful?
LEWANDOWSKI: My interview with Ari Melber...can be interpreted any way you like.
The big picture: Lewandowski's combative interactions with Democratic members of the committee yielded few new revelations, but Berke — who wrote a book titled, "The Practice of Federal Criminal Law: Prosecution and Defense" — was far more successful. Berke was able to get Lewandowski, who is considering running for a New Hampshire Senate seat, to effectively admit that he has lied to the media.
- The Mueller report, which Lewandowski told Berke was "accurate," found that President Trump directed Lewandowski to tell Jeff Sessions to limit the scope of the special counsel's investigation. Lewandowski repeatedly said throughout the hearing that he didn't believe that Trump's directive, which he ultimately chose not to carry out, was illegal.
Go deeper: More highlights from Lewandowski's heated testimony
