Lewandowski rebuffs committee's questions in Russia probe
Source: NBC News
WASHINGTON A top Trump administration official answered a full range of questions from House investigators Wednesday, just one day after former White House strategist Steve Bannon told them he was under instructions from the West Wing to remain silent, sparking new negotiations between Congress and the White House that could lead President Trump to formally invoke executive privilege for the first time in the Russia probe.
Though lawmakers described White House deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn as fully cooperative with the House Intelligence Committee during more than four hours of questioning, the same could not be said of the day's second witness, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
The panel's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, told reporters that it was "completely unacceptable" that Lewandowski refused to address questions both about events during the Trump campaign and his conversations with the president since, even whether he personally discussed his impending testimony with Trump in the last 24 hours.
Rather than cite the possibility that the president might assert executive privilege to block his testimony, Lewandowski said he was simply not prepared to provide those answers Wednesday, offering to return at a later date.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lewandowski-rebuffs-committees-questions-in-russia-probe/ar-AAuPNMk?li=BBnb7Kz
This is how you act when you know that Congressional Republicans are going to cover up for you.
bluestarone
(17,128 posts)rzemanfl
(29,585 posts)Jarqui
(10,131 posts)Lewandowski says he hasn't been contacted by Mueller yet ...
Like Bannon, I expect he'll hear from Mueller soon.
TomCADem
(17,390 posts)...running interference. Trump will use then use protests that follow or a war as a pretext to crack down on opposition.
Jarqui
(10,131 posts)It's not dead yet but it has melted/shriveled up a bunch.
The key part of the GOP narrative that Hillary Clinton/Dems paid Steele to create the Russia-Collusion issue on their own got absolutely smoked with Feinstein's release of that testimony.
This has not helped their cause either:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/369296-poll-most-want-mueller-to-be-allowed-to-finish-trump-russia
A Marist poll released Wednesday found 69 percent of registered voters surveyed believe Mueller should be able to complete his investigation, compared to 15 percent who believe the special counsel should be fired.
Go ahead and fire him and then face the midterms with that poll and the media knowing about what was behind the Steele dossier?
The last few days, the GOP have gotten considerably quieter about Mueller because their BS got exposed.
They'll ride Trump's fat coattails as long as it is in their interest to do so. And then ..
"Et tu, Mitch? ... Et tu, Paul? ... Et tu, Lindsey?"
"President Pence will sign whatever we put in front of him. Enjoy your stay in the mental health hospital."
TomCADem
(17,390 posts)...particularly in the time of a war(s) of his own creation.
Jarqui
(10,131 posts)so it is difficult to predict precisely what he is going to do. He could fire Mueller. He could start a war. etc.
But your claim was "With Fox and Congressional Republicans... ...running interference"
FOX is really a propaganda outfit so they'll go along with it at the outset but only as far as Congressional Republicans do.
Like many of us, a lot of Congressional Republicans do not sincerely like Trump.
But they are starting to wake up to the notion that they are in real trouble
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/20/politics/cnn-poll-democrats-advantage-grows-2018/index.html
and Trump is a key component in their problems.
With those polls, with Diane Feinstein's damage to their excuse to fire Mueller, with the ongoing Russia investigation whether they fire Mueller or not and the upcoming midterms, I suspect they'll cut Trumps throat sooner than later.
brush
(53,978 posts)Shows you've got something to hide.
Bayard
(22,241 posts)I thought I caught the tail end of some speculation on MSNBC last night that this may be a ploy to get him in front of Mueller first. Is that right?