MR. LEWANDOWSKI, YOU MAY BEGIN.
>> CHAIRMAN NADLER, RANKING
MEMBER COLLINS, AND MEMBERS OF
THE COMMITTEE, GOOD AFTERNOON.
I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF BY
EXPRESSING MY HOPE THAT TODAY'S
HEARING WILL BE PRODUCTIVE IN
REVEALING THE TRUTH, BOTH TO THE
COMMITTEE AND TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
FOR THE RECORD, AND AS YOU
LIKELY KNOW, I HAVE ALREADY
TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS ON
THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS.
I SAT AT LENGTH WITH THE STAFF
OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE.
THERE, TOO, MY TIME AND ANSWERS
WERE GIVEN FREELY AND WITHOUT
HESITATION.
I THINK IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER
I'VE ALREADY ANSWERED QUESTIONS
FOR WELL OVER 20 HOURS.
SO NOW HERE I AM BEFORE THE
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, TO
ANSWER THE SAME QUESTIONS AGAIN.
JUST LAST WEEK THIS COMMITTEE,
OVER THE OBJECTIONS OF THE
MINORITY, UNILATERALLY CHANGED
THE RULES TO MAKE THIS AN
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDING, WHICH IS
VERY UNFAIR.
HOWEVER, IN THE SPIRIT OF
COOPERATION, I AM PREPARED TO
MOVE FORWARD TODAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO START BY
RECOUNTING THE EVENTS THAT
BROUGHT US TO THIS POINT.
MY STORY OF JOINING THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN, WORKING THROUGH
HISTORIC ELECTION, AND
CONTINUING TO HAVE THE
PRIVILEGE TO BE PART OF THE
GREATEST POLITICAL MOVEMENT IN
OUR NATIONS HISTORY.
I PRESENT THIS SUMMARY IN THE
INTEREST OF TRUTH AND
TRANSPARENCY TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, THE VERY SAME REASON AND
RATIONALE THAT THIS COMMITTEE
OFFERS AS A BASIS FOR TODAY'S
HEARING.
GROWING UP IN A BLUE-COLLAR,
SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY IN LOWELL,
MASSACHUSETTS, I LEARNED THE
VALUE OF HARD WORK.
THAT WORK ETHIC HELPED ME PUT
MYSELF THROUGH BOTH COLLEGE AND
GRADUATE SCHOOL.
PRIOR TO BECOMING A
CONGRESSIONAL STAFFER, AND
ULTIMATELY A CERTIFIED PEACE
OFFICER IN THE STATE OF
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
HOWEVER, THE WORLD OF POLITICS
WAS ALWAYS OF PASSION.
AND IN JANUARY OF 2015,
DONALD J. TRUMP, THAN A PRIVATE
CITIZEN, HIRED ME TO HELP THEM
EXPLORE A POSSIBLE RUN FOR
THE PRESIDENCY.
IT WAS AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO
PLAY SMALL PART IN SUCH A
HISTORIC CAMPAIGN.
THE CAMPAIGN STARTED AS A SMALL
GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS HELPING
MR. TRUMP TO MAKE THE DECISION
IN JUNE OF 2015 TO RIDE DOWN THE
GOLDEN ESCALATOR AND SEEK THE
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR
PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.
FOR MORE THAN A YEAR I SERVED AS
CAMPAIGN MANAGER TO
THEN-CANDIDATE TRUMP IN HIS
HISTORIC CAMPAIGN, WHERE I LED A
LEAN AND DEDICATED OPERATION
THAT SUCCEEDED IN HELPING HIM
CAPTURE THE REPUBLICAN
NOMINATION.
MY JOB WAS SIMPLE -- PROVIDE
MR. TRUMP WITH MY BEST ADVICE,
SPEND HIS MONEY LIKE IT WAS MY
OWN, AND GIVE HIM THE SUPPORT HE
NEEDED TO WIN.
I ALSO SAID TO LONG-TERM
OBJECTIVES AND MANAGED
DAY-TO-DAY DECISIONS.
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.
I AM PROUD TO SAY MR. TRUMP WON
38 PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES AND
RECEIVED MORE VOTES THAN ANY
CANDIDATE IN THE HISTORY OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY, ALL WHILE
BEING OUTSPENT MOST OF THE WAY.
THE HISTORIC CAMPAIGN HELPED
MR. TRUMP SECURE THE REPUBLICAN
NOMINATION, AND ULTIMATELY THE
PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.
HOWEVER, SINCE ELECTION DAY,
WHETHER IT WAS BAD ACTORS AT THE
FBI AND THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY OR LIES COMING FROM
MEMBERS OF THE CURRENT HOUSE
MAJORITY, THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF
COLLUSION.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CONTINUE TO
BE SOLD A FALSE NARRATIVE WITH
THE PURPOSE OF UNDERMINING THE
LEGITIMACY OF THE 2016 RESULTS.
BUT NO MATTER THE SIZE,
CAMPAIGNS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE
MOST EFFICIENT ORGANIZATIONS.
WHILE YOU RUN IN SINGLE
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS, JUST
IMAGINE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LEAD A
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN THAT SPANS ALL
50 STATES OF THE UNION.
DURING MY TIME AS CAMPAIGN
MANAGER, THERE WERE COMPETING
INTERESTS FOR THE CANDIDATES'
TIME.
AND A SEA OF IDEAS.
SOME LAUDABLE, SOME SOUND.
A FEW, NOT SO MUCH.
MANY OF WHICH WERE DISMISSED OUT
OF HAND.
OTRS WERE PASSED ON TO
STAFFERS TO BE HANDLED.
I ALSO RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF EMAILS, SOME DAYS
WITH AS MANY AS A THOUSAND
EMAILS.
UNLIKE OTHER CLINTON, I DON'T
THINK I'VE EVER DELETED ANY OF
THOSE
MANY OF THEM WILL RESPOND TO DO
WITH EITHER ONE WORD ANSWERS OR
FORWARDED TO OTHER STAFF FOR
ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP.
THROUGHOUT IT ALL, INTO THE BEST
OF MY RECOLLECTION, I DON'T
RECALL HAVING ANY CONVERSATIONS
FOREIGN ENTITIES, LET ALONE ANY
WHO ARE OFFERING TO HELP MANY
PLAY THE OUTCOME OF AN ELECTION.
AS I SAID PUBLICLY MANY TIMES,
ANYONE WHO ATTEMPTED TO
ILLEGALLY IMPACT THE OUTCOME OF
AN ELECTION SHOULD SPEND THE
REST OF THEIR TIME IN JAIL.
LET ME STRESS THIS FACT.
DURING THE 2016 ELECTION CYCLE,
MR. TRUMP HELD NO ELECTED
POSITION.
HE WAS NOT A GOVERNMENT
OFFICIAL.
RATHER, THE OBAMA BIDEN
INFORMATION IN THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY OVERSEEN BY
JAMES CLAPPER, JIM COMEY, AND
JOHN BRENNAN, HAVE THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY
OF THE 2016 ELECTION.
I BELIEVE IT TO THIS COMMITTEE
AND THE MARKET PUBLIC TO DECIDE
HOW SUCCESSFUL OR NOT THEY WERE
IN DOING THEIR JOBS.
REGARDLESS, AS A SPECIAL COUNSEL
DETERMINED, IT WAS NO
CONSPIRACY OR COLLUSION BETWEEN
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, AND ANY
FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, EITHER ON M
FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, EITHER ON Y
WATCH OR AFTERWARDS.
NOT SURPRISINGLY, AFTER THE
MUELLER REPORT WAS MADE PUBLIC,
INTEREST IN THE FAKE RUSSIA
COLLUSION NARRATIVE HAS FALLEN
APART.
IN CONCLUSION, AND IT'S SAD TO
SAY, THIS COUNTRY HAS SPENT OVER
THREE YEARS AND 40 MILLION
TAXPAYER DOLLARS ON THESE
INVESTIGATIONS, AND IT IS NOW
CLEAR THAT THE INVESTIGATION WAS
POPULATED BY MANY TRUMP HATERS
WHO HAD THEIR OWN AGENDA -- TO
TAKE DOWN A DULY-ELECTED
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
AS FOR ACTUAL COLLUSION OR
CONSPIRACY, THERE WAS THE DOG
NONE.
THERE
HAS BEEN HARASSMENT OF THIS
PRESENT FROM THE DATE HE WON
THE ELECTION.
WE AS A NATION WOULD BE BETTER
SERVED IF ELECTED OFFICIALS LIKE
YOURSELF CONCENTRATED HER
EFFORTS TO COMBAT THE TRUE
CRISES FACING OUR COUNTRY, AS
OPPOSED TO GOING DOWN
RABBIT HOLES LIKE THIS HEARING.
INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON PETTY AND
PERSONAL POLITICS, THE COMMITTEE
FOCUSED ON SOLVING THE
CHALLENGES OF THIS
GENERATION, IMAGINE HAVING
PEOPLE WE COULD HELP OR HOW MANY
LIVES YOU COULD SAVE.
AS I STATED EARLIER, I HAVE
VOLUNTARILY APPEARED IN FRONT OF
CONGRESS ON THREE SEPARATE
OCCASIONS AND SPOKEN TO MEMBERS
OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE
FOR MULTIPLE HOURS.
I WILL CONTINUE TO BE FORTHRIGHT