President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski will be testifying in public when he appears before the House Judiciary Committee later this month, according to the Daily Beast.
Lewandowski is set to appear before the committee on Sept. 17 to answer questions related to the panel’s investigation into possible obstruction of justice by Trump.
Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-New York, issued a subpoena for the public testimony in August.
The White House was reportedly considering whether to invoke executive privilege to prevent Lewandowski from complying with the subpoena as it has done with former White House aides. It would have been the first time the president would have tried to assert the privilege over someone who never worked in his administration.
Democrats are seeking to question former Trump aides about their knowledge of potential obstruction detailed in the second part of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on his Russia investigation.
In Mueller’s report, Lewandowski, who did not work in the White House, said he was directed by Trump to ask then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to limit the investigation or tell him he was fired. Lewandowski said he never delivered the message.
It’s been months since Democrats have been able to get witnesses to answer questions. Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks was the last to appear in a closed hearing June, but she repeatedly invoked claims of executive privilege.
Nadler also served subpoenas to former deputy White House chief of staff Rick Dearborn and former White House staff secretary Rob Porter. Both were asked to appear on Sept. 17 as well, but their testimony has not been confirmed.
Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen appeared publicly before the House Oversight Committee in February before he began his prison sentence in May. Cohen also testified behind closed doors to the House Intelligence Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee.
