Democrats to question Corey Lewandowski as they investigate possible obstruction by Trump

The House Judiciary Committee has secured the testimony of President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski later this month, marking the first public appearance of a Trump ally as Democrats seek to investigate possible obstruction by the president.

Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who subpoenaed Lewandowski to testify by Sept. 17, announced on Monday that he would appear on that date.

Nadler has also subpoenaed former White House officials Rob Porter and Rick Dearborn to testify with Lewandowski at a joint hearing, noting that all three are tied to a key episode of possible obstruction by Trump described in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

But it is unclear if Porter and Dearborn will appear, since the White House has successfully blocked both former and current officials from testifying publicly up until this point. {mosads}

The White House has argued that confidentiality protections offered to the executive branch apply to current and former aides. This effectively prevents them from disclosing what took place during their time in the administration, the White House contends.

While both Republican and Democratic administrations have invoked the immunity concept, legal experts say there is virtually no case law on the subject. Some predict the White House is likely to lose if challenged in court.

Lewandowski, who never served in the Trump administration and therefore is outside the White House’s current claims of immunity, publicly stated that he would testify before the committee, vowing he would do so with the goal of defending the president.

“I am an open book. I want to go and remind the American people that these guys are on a witch hunt, right?” Lewandowski, who is considering a New Hampshire Senate run, told Fox News Radio last month.