Don Lemon to Dem Rep. Jaime Raskin: You “Got Played” By Lewandowski And Team Trump, “This Was Bad”
During an interview Tuesday night with Rep. Jaime Raskin, CNN host Don Lemon lamented the outcome of that day’s House Judiciary hearing with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
“Lewandowski and team Trump brazenly, honestly playing Democrats. Democrats got played,” Lemon said in his opening monologue. “And while they played by the rules, meaning the Democrats, Lewandowski is running all over them, which does not bode well for their impeachment inquiry.”
“So, it was obvious from the beginning that Lewandowski came prepared to stymie Democrats on your committee at every turn. Why weren’t Democrats better prepared for his combative tactics?” he asked Rep. Jaime Raskin, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, later in the show.
“I think we were ready to confront this completely concocted new executive confidentiality of advice privilege that they fabricated for this episode. It was amazing that he stuck with it in parrot-like fashion, repeating it maybe a dozen or 15 times,” Raskin said. “We are trying to stand by the rules and be fair, and they are the chaos party, and they’re just blowing everything up. They’re acting like, you know, a bunch of drunken adolescents down in the rec room.”
“So what you’re saying is you’re playing by the rules, right? They’re not. So why are you playing by the rules?” Lemon asked.
“Because we’re defending the rule of law. And I know it’s frustrating to us. It’s frustrating to everybody else. You know, we do follow the rules. We do follow the rule of law, and they’re the chaos party. And they make a mockery out of everything,” Raskin replied.
“They make you look bad, or maybe Democrats are making themselves look bad. It was bad. You guys had — this was bad. This was bad,” Lemon said.
“What I’m saying is, is that I think that you’re too close to the forest. You don’t see it. Just as an observer, you’re getting played big-time,” Lemon told Raskin. “And so when you’re getting played, you got to readjust, right? If you’re going to be a player, you got to play, right?”
Transcript via CNN:
DON LEMON, CNN: If we’ve learned anything today, anything at all, it is this. You can brazen your way through anything if you are team Trump. Exhibit A, one Corey Lewandowski, sticking to the script the White House wrote for him.
The White House has directed me not to disclose the substance of any discussions.
REP. JERROLD NADLER (D-NY): How many times —
LEWANDOWSKI: The White House has directed I not disclose the substance of any discussions with the president.
The White House has directed that I not disclose the substance of any discussions with the president or his advisers to protect executive branch confidentiality.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you’re in the Oval Office. Mr. Lewandowski, reclaiming my time.
LEMON: I’m surprised after all those times he even had to read the card anymore. Lewandowski and team Trump brazenly, honestly playing Democrats. Democrats got played.
And while they played by the rules, meaning the Democrats, Lewandowski is running all over them, which does not bode well for their impeachment inquiry…
[30 minutes later]
LEMON: President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski today spending most of his nearly six hours on Capitol Hill in his testimony refusing to answer questions under the guise of executive privilege.
Joining me now to discuss, one of the Democrats who questioned Lewandowski, and it’s Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland.
Congressman, thank you. I appreciate you joining us.
REP. JAIME RASKIN: Thanks for having me, Don.
LEMON: So, it was obvious from the beginning that Lewandowski came prepared to stymie Democrats on your committee at every turn. Why weren’t Democrats better prepared for his combative tactics?
RASKIN: Well, I think we were ready to confront this completely concocted new executive confidentiality of advice privilege that they fabricated for this episode. It was amazing that he stuck with it in parrot-like fashion, repeating it maybe a dozen or 15 times during —
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: But after the third time, don’t you, you know, rejigger and change your tactics, and if he doesn’t answer, don’t you say, listen, if you don’t answer, we’re going to hold you in contempt. If he continues not to answer —
RASKIN: Yes.
LEMON: — can’t you say this is over and expect to be held in contempt when you leave here? So, make a decision to either be in contempt or answer the questions. What’s going on? Why can’t you guys do that?
RASKIN: We invoked contempt a number of times and obviously that’s something that’s going to be very much on the table.
LEMON: But you invoked it, you don’t do it. You threaten.
RASKIN: Well, no. I mean, but we’ve brought contempt charges against Attorney General Barr, for example. So, the problem is the way we’ve done it is the conventional way of appealing to the courts. We actually have inherent powers of contempt ourselves. There’s an 1821 case called Anderson v. Dunn which says the Congress can enforce its own orders through contempt just the way that courts can do it. Now, there is a division of opinion about whether we should go back to that, but —
LEMON: So what you’re saying is you’re playing by the rules, right?
RASKIN: Yes.
LEMON: They’re not. So why are you playing by the rules?
RASKIN: Because we’re defending the rule of law. And I know it’s frustrating to us. It’s frustrating to everybody else. You know, we do follow the rules. We do follow the rule of law, and they’re the chaos party. And they make a mockery out of everything and —
LEMON: They make you look bad, or maybe Democrats are making themselves look bad. It was bad. You guys had — this was bad. This was bad.
RASKIN: Well, I don’t know if you saw all the way to the end, Don.
LEMON: I did.
RASKIN: Actually Barry Burke, our counsel.
LEMON: I know what you are going to say, you’re talking about the professional who asked the questions later, right?
RASKIN: Well, our lawyer had devastating cross-examination of Lewandowski.
LEMON: Why didn’t you let him ask the questions first?
RASKIN: Well, we had to torture out of the Republicans the agreement to even allow lawyers to go for 30 minutes. It is the rules of the House of Representatives that the members get five minutes of questioning, but what you said given the fact that we’re in impeachment investigation and this is a matter of the highest priority, that we want to have extended questioning by our lawyer.
So that was a big fight. You saw, you know, we took probably an hour debating all of that today, and they kept trying to adjourn and play all of these procedural moves. Look, you’re absolutely right. We are the party of the constitution and the rule of law now. We are trying to stand by the rules and be fair, and they are the chaos party, and they’re just blowing everything up. They’re acting like, you know, a bunch of drunken adolescents down in the rec room.
LEMON: Well, listen, you can — that is not what I’m saying here. What I’m saying is, is that I think that you’re too close to the forest. You don’t see it. Just as an observer —
RASKIN: Yes.
LEMON: — you’re getting played big-time. And so when you’re getting played, you got to readjust, right? If you’re going to be a player, you got to play, right?
(Hat-tip: Free Beacon)