House panel subpoenas former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee said Thursday it has subpoenaed President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and former White House chief of staff Rick Dearborn to publicly testify in its investigation of whether to pursue presidential impeachment.

Both men are being called to appear Sept. 17 and discuss Trump’s “extensive efforts to obstruct” special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference, New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the committee’s chairman, said in a statement.

Nadler said the testimony is to be part of hearings and other witness appearances that will “help the Committee determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment against the President or other Article 1 remedies.”

Today, @HouseJudiciary served subpoenas on Corey Lewandowski and Rick Dearborn for public testimony on September 17. Read my full statement here: https://t.co/7IVmJtur9u

— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) August 15, 2019

Lewandowski appeared with Trump on Thursday at a rally in New Hampshire, where the former aide is considering a challenge to Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in 2020.

The White House didn’t immediately comment on the committee’s subpoena.

The latest subpoenas were issued as congressional investigations of Trump so far have been stymied by the White House’s refusal to let some current and former officials testify before congressional panels.

The Judiciary Committee has filed a lawsuit in federal court to get testimony from one of those officials, former White House counsel Don McGahn. The suit is a potential test case for whether other witnesses can be forced to testify over White House objections.

Nadler said Lewandowski and Dearborn were also both being “prominently featured in the Special Counsel’s description of President Trump’s efforts to obstruct justice by directing then-White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire the Special Counsel, and then by ordering him to lie about it.”

NEW: White House officials look at executive privilege for Corey Lewandowski, who never worked at the White House https://t.co/EDl6Z1H1Rt pic.twitter.com/LBU2kgqKU0

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 15, 2019

Lewandowski served as Trump’s campaign manager from January 2015 to June 2016, but has remained in contact with the president. Mueller’s report notes that on June 19, 2017, Trump met with Lewandowski and dictated a message for him to deliver to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to criticize the probe.

Dearborn served as White House deputy chief of staff for policy. The Mueller report states that Lewandowski had asked Dearborn to deliver the message to Sessions from Trump to limit Mueller’s investigation.