On Capitol Hill, President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski stonewalled and frustrated congressmembers for six hours on Tuesday as the House Judiciary Committee held the first official hearing of its presidential impeachment investigation. During the hearing, Lewandowski admitted that President Trump asked him in June 2017 to pressure then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to rein in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. That directly contradicts Lewandowski’s public statements on TV earlier this year. Consulting attorney Barry Berke, hired by Democrats to cross-examine Trump’s ex-campaign manager, played a clip of Lewandowski on MSNBC last May. 

Barry Berke: “Did you hear that, sir? That was 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?”

Corey Lewandowski: “I heard that.”

Barry Berke: “And that was not true, was it?”

Corey Lewandowski: “I have no obligation to be honest to the media, because they’re just as dishonest as anybody else.”

Barry Berke: “So you’re admitting, sir, you were not being truthful in that clip. Correct?”

Corey Lewandowski: “My interview with Ari Melber?”

Barry Berke: “Yes.”

Corey Lewandowski: “Can be interpreted any way you’d like.”

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler said he may seek to hold Lewandowski in contempt of Congress over his refusal to answer the committee’s questions. Ahead of the hearing, Lewandowski used the Twitter hashtag #Senate2020 to hint that he’ll seek the Republican nomination to challenge New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen next year; he later tweeted out a formal announcement of his candidacy after asking for a five-minute recess.