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  • MR. LEWANDOWSKI, YOU MAY BEGIN.

  • >> CHAIRMAN NADLER, RANKING

  • MEMBER COLLINS, AND MEMBERS OF

  • THE COMMITTEE, GOOD AFTERNOON.

  • I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF BY

  • EXPRESSING MY HOPE THAT TODAY'S

  • HEARING WILL BE PRODUCTIVE IN

  • REVEALING THE TRUTH, BOTH TO THE

  • COMMITTEE AND TO THE AMERICAN

  • PEOPLE.

  • FOR THE RECORD, AND AS YOU

  • LIKELY KNOW, I HAVE ALREADY

  • TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS ON

  • THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS.

  • I SAT AT LENGTH WITH THE STAFF

  • OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE.

  • THERE, TOO, MY TIME AND ANSWERS

  • WERE GIVEN FREELY AND WITHOUT

  • HESITATION.

  • I THINK IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER

  • I'VE ALREADY ANSWERED QUESTIONS

  • FOR WELL OVER 20 HOURS.

  • SO NOW HERE I AM BEFORE THE

  • HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, TO

  • ANSWER THE SAME QUESTIONS AGAIN.

  • JUST LAST WEEK THIS COMMITTEE,

  • OVER THE OBJECTIONS OF THE

  • MINORITY, UNILATERALLY CHANGED

  • THE RULES TO MAKE THIS AN

  • IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDING, WHICH IS

  • VERY UNFAIR.

  • HOWEVER, IN THE SPIRIT OF

  • COOPERATION, I AM PREPARED TO

  • MOVE FORWARD TODAY.

  • I WOULD LIKE TO START BY

  • RECOUNTING THE EVENTS THAT

  • BROUGHT US TO THIS POINT.

  • MY STORY OF JOINING THE TRUMP

  • CAMPAIGN, WORKING THROUGH

  • HISTORIC ELECTION, AND

  • CONTINUING TO HAVE THE

  • PRIVILEGE TO BE PART OF THE

  • GREATEST POLITICAL MOVEMENT IN

  • OUR NATIONS HISTORY.

  • I PRESENT THIS SUMMARY IN THE

  • INTEREST OF TRUTH AND

  • TRANSPARENCY TO THE AMERICAN

  • PEOPLE, THE VERY SAME REASON AND

  • RATIONALE THAT THIS COMMITTEE

  • OFFERS AS A BASIS FOR TODAY'S

  • HEARING.

  • GROWING UP IN A BLUE-COLLAR,

  • SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY IN LOWELL,

  • MASSACHUSETTS, I LEARNED THE

  • VALUE OF HARD WORK.

  • THAT WORK ETHIC HELPED ME PUT

  • MYSELF THROUGH BOTH COLLEGE AND

  • GRADUATE SCHOOL.

  • PRIOR TO BECOMING A

  • CONGRESSIONAL STAFFER, AND

  • ULTIMATELY A CERTIFIED PEACE

  • OFFICER IN THE STATE OF

  • NEW HAMPSHIRE.

  • HOWEVER, THE WORLD OF POLITICS

  • WAS ALWAYS OF PASSION.

  • AND IN JANUARY OF 2015,

  • DONALD J. TRUMP, THAN A PRIVATE

  • CITIZEN, HIRED ME TO HELP THEM

  • EXPLORE A POSSIBLE RUN FOR

  • THE PRESIDENCY.

  • IT WAS AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO

  • PLAY SMALL PART IN SUCH A

  • HISTORIC CAMPAIGN.

  • THE CAMPAIGN STARTED AS A SMALL

  • GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS HELPING

  • MR. TRUMP TO MAKE THE DECISION

  • IN JUNE OF 2015 TO RIDE DOWN THE

  • GOLDEN ESCALATOR AND SEEK THE

  • REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR

  • PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.

  • FOR MORE THAN A YEAR I SERVED AS

  • CAMPAIGN MANAGER TO

  • THEN-CANDIDATE TRUMP IN HIS

  • HISTORIC CAMPAIGN, WHERE I LED A

  • LEAN AND DEDICATED OPERATION

  • THAT SUCCEEDED IN HELPING HIM

  • CAPTURE THE REPUBLICAN

  • NOMINATION.

  • MY JOB WAS SIMPLE -- PROVIDE

  • MR. TRUMP WITH MY BEST ADVICE,

  • SPEND HIS MONEY LIKE IT WAS MY

  • OWN, AND GIVE HIM THE SUPPORT HE

  • NEEDED TO WIN.

  • I ALSO SAID TO LONG-TERM

  • OBJECTIVES AND MANAGED

  • DAY-TO-DAY DECISIONS.

  • I HAD THE PRIVILEGE, AND IT WAS

  • A PRIVILEGE, OF HELPING

  • TRANSFORM THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN

  • FROM A DEDICATED BUT SMALL

  • MAKESHIFT ORGANIZATION TO A

  • HISTORICAL AND UNPRECEDENTED

  • POLITICAL JUGGERNAUT.

  • I AM PROUD TO SAY MR. TRUMP WON

  • 38 PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES AND

  • RECEIVED MORE VOTES THAN ANY

  • CANDIDATE IN THE HISTORY OF THE

  • REPUBLICAN PARTY, ALL WHILE

  • BEING OUTSPENT MOST OF THE WAY.

  • THE HISTORIC CAMPAIGN HELPED

  • MR. TRUMP SECURE THE REPUBLICAN

  • NOMINATION, AND ULTIMATELY THE

  • PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.

  • HOWEVER, SINCE ELECTION DAY,

  • WHETHER IT WAS BAD ACTORS AT THE

  • FBI AND THE INTELLIGENCE

  • COMMUNITY OR LIES COMING FROM

  • MEMBERS OF THE CURRENT HOUSE

  • MAJORITY, THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF

  • COLLUSION.

  • THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CONTINUE TO

  • BE SOLD A FALSE NARRATIVE WITH

  • THE PURPOSE OF UNDERMINING THE

  • LEGITIMACY OF THE 2016 RESULTS.

  • BUT NO MATTER THE SIZE,

  • CAMPAIGNS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE

  • MOST EFFICIENT ORGANIZATIONS.

  • WHILE YOU RUN IN SINGLE

  • CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS, JUST

  • IMAGINE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LEAD A

  • NATIONAL CAMPAIGN THAT SPANS ALL

  • 50 STATES OF THE UNION.

  • DURING MY TIME AS CAMPAIGN

  • MANAGER, THERE WERE COMPETING

  • INTERESTS FOR THE CANDIDATES'

  • TIME.

  • AND A SEA OF IDEAS.

  • SOME LAUDABLE, SOME SOUND.

  • A FEW, NOT SO MUCH.

  • MANY OF WHICH WERE DISMISSED OUT

  • OF HAND.

  • OTRS WERE PASSED ON TO

  • STAFFERS TO BE HANDLED.

  • I ALSO RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF

  • THOUSANDS OF EMAILS, SOME DAYS

  • WITH AS MANY AS A THOUSAND

  • EMAILS.

  • UNLIKE OTHER CLINTON, I DON'T

  • THINK I'VE EVER DELETED ANY OF

  • THOSE

  • MANY OF THEM WILL RESPOND TO DO

  • WITH EITHER ONE WORD ANSWERS OR

  • FORWARDED TO OTHER STAFF FOR

  • ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP.

  • THROUGHOUT IT ALL, INTO THE BEST

  • OF MY RECOLLECTION, I DON'T

  • RECALL HAVING ANY CONVERSATIONS

  • FOREIGN ENTITIES, LET ALONE ANY

  • WHO ARE OFFERING TO HELP MANY

  • PLAY THE OUTCOME OF AN ELECTION.

  • AS I SAID PUBLICLY MANY TIMES,

  • ANYONE WHO ATTEMPTED TO

  • ILLEGALLY IMPACT THE OUTCOME OF

  • AN ELECTION SHOULD SPEND THE

  • REST OF THEIR TIME IN JAIL.

  • LET ME STRESS THIS FACT.

  • DURING THE 2016 ELECTION CYCLE,

  • MR. TRUMP HELD NO ELECTED

  • POSITION.

  • HE WAS NOT A GOVERNMENT

  • OFFICIAL.

  • RATHER, THE OBAMA BIDEN

  • INFORMATION IN THE INTELLIGENCE

  • COMMUNITY OVERSEEN BY

  • JAMES CLAPPER, JIM COMEY, AND

  • JOHN BRENNAN, HAVE THE

  • RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AMERICAN

  • PEOPLE TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY

  • OF THE 2016 ELECTION.

  • I BELIEVE IT TO THIS COMMITTEE

  • AND THE MARKET PUBLIC TO DECIDE

  • HOW SUCCESSFUL OR NOT THEY WERE

  • IN DOING THEIR JOBS.

  • REGARDLESS, AS A SPECIAL COUNSEL

  • DETERMINED, IT WAS NO

  • CONSPIRACY OR COLLUSION BETWEEN

  • THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, AND ANY

  • FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, EITHER ON M

  • FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, EITHER ON Y

  • WATCH OR AFTERWARDS.

  • NOT SURPRISINGLY, AFTER THE

  • MUELLER REPORT WAS MADE PUBLIC,

  • INTEREST IN THE FAKE RUSSIA

  • COLLUSION NARRATIVE HAS FALLEN

  • APART.

  • IN CONCLUSION, AND IT'S SAD TO

  • SAY, THIS COUNTRY HAS SPENT OVER

  • THREE YEARS AND 40 MILLION

  • TAXPAYER DOLLARS ON THESE

  • INVESTIGATIONS, AND IT IS NOW

  • CLEAR THAT THE INVESTIGATION WAS

  • POPULATED BY MANY TRUMP HATERS

  • WHO HAD THEIR OWN AGENDA -- TO

  • TAKE DOWN A DULY-ELECTED

  • PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

  • AS FOR ACTUAL COLLUSION OR

  • CONSPIRACY, THERE WAS THE DOG

  • NONE.

  • THERE

  • HAS BEEN HARASSMENT OF THIS

  • PRESENT FROM THE DATE HE WON

  • THE ELECTION.

  • WE AS A NATION WOULD BE BETTER

  • SERVED IF ELECTED OFFICIALS LIKE

  • YOURSELF CONCENTRATED HER

  • EFFORTS TO COMBAT THE TRUE

  • CRISES FACING OUR COUNTRY, AS

  • OPPOSED TO GOING DOWN

  • RABBIT HOLES LIKE THIS HEARING.

  • INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON PETTY AND

  • PERSONAL POLITICS, THE COMMITTEE

  • FOCUSED ON SOLVING THE

  • CHALLENGES OF THIS

  • GENERATION, IMAGINE HAVING

  • PEOPLE WE COULD HELP OR HOW MANY

  • LIVES YOU COULD SAVE.

  • AS I STATED EARLIER, I HAVE

  • VOLUNTARILY APPEARED IN FRONT OF

  • CONGRESS ON THREE SEPARATE

  • OCCASIONS AND SPOKEN TO MEMBERS

  • OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE

  • FOR MULTIPLE HOURS.

  • I WILL CONTINUE TO BE FORTHRIGHT

MR. LEWANDOWSKI, YOU MAY BEGIN.

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