>>> DONALD TRUMP’S 2016 CAMPAIGN MANAGER IS COMING OFF A PRETTY
ROUGH WEEK GIVEN THAT
CONGRESSIONAL GRILLING.
CONGRESSIONAL GRILLING. HE JUST HIT THE SUNDAY SHOW
CIRCUIT WITH A NEW DEFENSE FOR
GETTING CAUGHT IN A LIE ON MSNBC
ON THE BEAT AS IT HAPPENS.
LEWANDOWSKI ARGUED HE COULD LIE
TO THE MEDIA BECAUSE HE THINKS
THE MEDIA IS UNFAIR AND
UNTRUTHFUL.
UNTRUTHFUL. MAYBE THAT DEFENSE ISN’T PLAYING
SO WELL BECAUSE ON SUNDAY, YOU
SEE HERE, HE MADE A NEW ARGUMENT
ON FOX NEWS THAT ACTUALLY HIS
LIE WAS DESIGNED TO RESPECT THE
MUELLER PROBE, BUT THAT IS
FALSE.
FALSE. AND THIS ALL STARTED WITH
LEWANDOWSKI LYING ON THE BEAT BY
DENYING WHAT HE HAD ADMITTED TO
MUELLER THAT TRUMP ASKED HIM TO
PRESSURE AND OUST JEFF SESSIONS
OVER THE RUSSIA PROBE.
DO YOU THINK IT’S PROBLEMATIC
THAT THE "NEW YORK TIMES" HAS
SOURCES THERE FOR THE STORY
REPORTING THAT DONALD TRUMP
CALLED YOU AND ASKED YOU TO HELP
OUST JEFF SESSIONS IN THE MIDDLE
OF HIS PROBE?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS, YOU KNOW,
I THINK THAT WE HAVE SEEN TIME
AND TIME AGAIN MAINSTREAM MEDIA
OUTLETS GETTING STORIES WRONG.
I DON’T REMEMBER THE PRESIDENT
EVER ASKING ME TO GET INVOLVED
WITH JEFF SESSIONS OR THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IN ANY
WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, EVER.
>> EVER, SO I ASKED ABOUT THE
SESSIONS REPORT, LEWANDOWSKI
DENIES TRUMP ASKED HIM TO GET
INVOLVED WITH SESSIONS OR DOJ.
LUN
LUN LEWANDOWSKI ADMITTED THAT WAS
FALSE.
FALSE. ON FOX NEWS, HE INCORRECTLY
CLAIMS THE QUESTION WAS NOT
ABOUT SESSIONS.
ABOUT SESSIONS. HERE IS THE FULL CLIP IN
FAIRNESS, SO YOU CAN SEE FOR
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF. >> LEWANDOWSKI, YOU TOLD
PROSECUTORS HE NEVER ACTED ON
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S REQUEST THAT
HE PUSH JEFF SESSIONS TO FIRE
BOB MUELLER, BUT THE PANEL
PLAYED VIDEO OF LEWANDOWSKI
SAYING SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT
TO MSNBC’S ARI MELBER.
>> I DON’T REMEMBER THE
PRESIDENT EVER ASKING ME TO GET
INVOLVED WITH JEFF SESSIONS OR
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IN ANY
WAY, SHAPE OR FORM EVER.
>> THAT WASN’T TRUE, WAS IT,
SIR?
SIR? >> I HEARD THAT.
>> AND THAT WAS NOT TRUE, WAS
IT.
IT. >> I HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO BE
HONEST TO THE MEDIA, BECAUSE
THEY’RE JUST AS DISHONEST AS
ANYBODY ELSE.
ANYBODY ELSE. >> I SPOKE WITH THE PRESIDENT’S
FORMER CAMPAIGN MEMBER FROM NEW
HAMPSHIRE.
HAMPSHIRE. COREY LEWANDOWSKI, WELCOME.
>> THANK YOU, THANK YOUS FOR
HAVING ME.
HAVING ME. >> LET’S START AT YOUR
DECLARATION AT THE HEARING, I
HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO BE HONEST
WITH THE MEDIA, BECAUSE YOU
CONSIDER THEM TO BE DISHONEST.
WHY SHOULD ANYBODY DECIDE MAYBE
THIS TIME HE’S DECIDED NOT TO
TELL THE TRUTH.
>> HOWIE AS YOU KNOW, AND WHAT
THE LISTENERS SAW THAT DAY IS
THEY TOOK AN 8 SECOND VIDEO CLIP
OF ME, COMPLETELY OUT OF
CONTEXT, AND PUT IT ON THE
SCREEN, AND SAID IS THIS
TRUTHFUL AND WHAT THE VIDEO CLIP
WAS OF IS ME ANSWERING A
QUESTION THAT I HASN’T MET WITH
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL YET.
>> FALSE.
>> FALSE. I WAS ASKING ABOUT SESSIONS,
LEWANDOWSKI DENIED IT, AND AT
THE HEARING, AS YOU JUST SAW, HE
REFERENCED "THE BEAT" INTERVIEW,
SO WE KNOW HE KNEW IT WAS THAT
EXCHANGE.
EXCHANGE. HE WAS ASKED ABOUT HIS FALSE
CLAIM THAT HE HASN’T MET WITH
MUELLER.
MUELLER. TAKE A LOOK.
>> HAVE YOU MET WITH THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL ROBERT MUELLER, I KNOW
YOU TESTIFIED BEFORE THE SENATE
HOUSE AND INTEL INVESTIGATIONS,
WHAT ABOUT THE SPECIAL COUNSEL.
>> I HAVE SAID VERY CANDIDLY,
I’LL BE HAPPY TO SPEAK WITH THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL IF THEY WOULD
LIKE TO DO THAT.
I HAVE BEEN VERY OPEN, I
VOLUNTEERED TO TESTIFY FOR 12
HOURS IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE, I HAVE TESTIFIED IN
FRONT OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE
AND I’LL MAKE MYSELF AVAILABLE
BECAUSE I WAS THERE AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE CAMPAIGN.
>> HAVE THEY ASKED FOR YOU?
>> NOT YET.
>> YOU HAVEN’T BEEN SUBPOENAED,
NOTHING.
NOTHING. >> THAT WAS FALSE BECAUSE THEY
HAD.
HAD. LEWANDOWSKI USING THE FOX
INTERVIEW TO FALSELY SUGGEST
THAT’S THE WHOLE DISPUTE, AND
THIS WAS OUT OF RESPECT FOR
MUELLER.
MUELLER. >> AND THE REASON I SAID THAT,
HOWIE IS BECAUSE MY TWO TIMES IN
FRONT OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL
WERE SHROUDED IN SECRECY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY FAIR THAT
I DIDN’T DISCLOSE INFORMATION
THAT THEY DIDN’T WANT PUBLICLY
AVAILABLE.
AVAILABLE. I REGRET THE FACT THAT I SHOULD
HAVE PROBABLY EXPLAINED IT
BETTER, AND SPECIFICALLY AS IT
RELATED TO MY TENURE IN FRONT OF
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL BUT I DID
THAT OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL.
SPECIAL COUNSEL. >> RESPECT.
>> RESPECT. THIS IS WHAT POLITICAL SPIN
LOOKS LIKE.
LOOKS LIKE. FACING BLOW BACK FOR CLAIMING HE
CAN LIE ALL THE TIME,
LEWANDOWSKI IS CLAIMING THIS WAS
A LITTLE FIB TO HELP MUELLER.
TONIGHT’S FACT CHECK HAS TWO KEY
POINTS, ONE, THAT ARGUMENT IS
BANKRUPT, ANY WITNESS WHO WANTS
TO RESPECT THE SPECIAL COUNSEL
CAN SAY NO COMMENT WHEN ASKED
ABOUT ITS WORK, YOU KNOW, LIKE
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL ALWAYS DID,
AND SECOND, LEWANDOWSKI IS
SLIPPING INTO THE PATHOLOGICAL
TERRITORY, ONCE DIAGNOSED BY
ANOTHER EXPERT ON THE CODE OF
RULE BREAKERS TO QUOTE LL COOL J
WHO WARNED AGAINST PEOPLE WHO
LIE ABOUT THE LIES THEY LIED
ABOUT, THE KIND OF PERSON WHO
LIES SO HABITUALLY, YOU’RE THE
LARGEST EVER CREATED, YOU AND
PINOCCHIO ARE PROBABLY RELATED,
YOUR TONGUE SHOULD BE
EMBARRASSED, YOU’RE A THREAT TO
MANKIND.
MANKIND. THERE MAY BE LITTLE EVIDENCE MR.
LEWANDOWSKI IS EMBARRASSED BUT
HIS NEW FALSEHOODS SHOW HE
THINKS GETTING AWAY WITH ANOTHER
LIE MIGHT BE A BETTER MESSAGE
THAN ADMITTING HE JUST LIES TO
THE PRESS ALL THE TIME AS HE
CLAIMED LAST WEEK.
NOW, WE’RE NOT EXACTLY GOING TO
COUNT THAT AS PROGRESS, BUT IT
MAY SHOW SOME LIMITS TO