MSNBC’s Melber Threatens Corey Lewandowski with ‘Defamation Situation’

MELBER: “All right, I got your answer on that. While I have you, and we’ve been giving you time, I do want to turn to something that came up in the last time we did an interview. It’s been a few years. You’re back as a representative of the campaign.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “That’s a wayback machine, baby.”
MELBER: “Well, Corey, when you were on here, we asked you point-blank about these reports that Donald Trump as president had tried to use you as a kind of improper cutout to shut down an open federal probe, which is a big deal. We have some headlines on that. We asked you about it at the time. And when you went in and were facing the House investigation, it also came up, including our interview. Let’s take a listen to that.”

[Clip starts]
LEWANDOWSKI: “I don’t ever remember the president ever asking me to get involved with Jeff Sessions or the Department of Justice in any way, shape, or form.”
(...)
UNKNOWN: “That wasn’t true, was it, sir?”
LEWANDOWSKI: “I heard that.”
UNKNOWN: “And that was not true, was it?”
LEWANDOWSKI: “I have no obligation to be honest with the media because they’re just as dishonest as anyone else. (...) Perhaps I was inaccurate that time.”
[Clip ends]

LEWANDOWSKI: “The wayback machine is amazing. How good did I look back then?”
MELBER: “Let me ask you, I’ll give you the question, you give me the answer. We heard you on the campaign, 2024. Now, I want to turn to this, to deal with it. First time you’ve been back since then. Do you want to state for the record that what you stated on air was false? Because people are listening to you about the campaign, and why should they believe you if you’re lying about other things?”
LEWANDOWSKI: “Ari, if we’re going down this road, are you doing to say that Donald Trump had a bandage on his ear just for spectacle? Are you going to say that that was false? The guy got shot in the head, and you said the only reason he had the bandage on his ear — I can read you the quote if you want. You said it was just for spectacle. So if you want to apologize — “
MELBER: “Two things. You’re not answering the question, Corey — “
LEWANDOWSKI: “Ari, do you take back your statement?”
MELBER: “I know what you’re referring to, and at the end of the interview, we can touch base on that. We’re gonna finish this question. I will return to that. But the question on the table is, do you admit now for the record that when asked — “
LEWANDOWSKI: “That you were wrong. Do you admit that?”
MELBER: “I said I’ll go to it at the end and I will, I’ll do that for you.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “Okay. So which one is it?”
MELBER: “You agreed to come on and be interviewed. You got time.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “I absolutely did.”
MELBER: “Now I’m asking you this: Do you admit that you were stating that falsely at the time? Because the investigation was about whether Donald Trump was trying to get you to get Sessions to shut down a lawful probe.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “Ari, if you tell me that you admit that you were wrong that Donald Trump wasn’t having a bandage on his ear for spectacle, I’ll take you for your word. So you tell me that you were wrong — “
MELBER: “So you’re not — I told you I’ll come back to that at the end, because I will, but you’re not going to answer the question?”
LEWANDOWSKI: “Ari, listen, here’s the deal, man. I’m with you to answer questions, but you can’t ask me something when you’re not willing to say that you were wrong too. Right? So, admit — “
MELBER: “I told you I’ll come back to that. Again, the viewers are smart. Corey, the viewers are smart. They understand that having been busted, under oath, you admitted that. You said, ‘I have no obligation to be honest with the media.’ So this is relevant because even though I’m being fair and giving you time, if you admit under oath that you were not telling the truth, it is relevant now, and now you seem to be unable to address that. I’ll play one more exchange from your House hearing. Take a look.”

[Clip starts]
UNKNOWN: “So, the reason why you didn’t admit that the president had asked you to deliver a message to the attorney general about investigations is because you knew it was wrong, and you were concerned about your own exposure, and you didn’t have immunity in that interview, isn’t that correct?”
LEWANDOWSKI: “Which interview?”
(...)
UNKNOWN: “So you can’t give me any other explanation except you’re concerned that you or the president could be criminally exposed on what you attempted to do on his behalf, is that correct?”
LEWANDOWSKI: “I didn’t say that. I don’t recall that particular interview.”
[Clip ends]

MELBER: “Final chance to address this. The Trump Administration had an open investigation. Then-President Trump did ask you to interfere with Sessions, and you did lie about it in public, yes?”
LEWANDOWSKI: “Ari, listen, we’ve been down this path, okay?”
MELBER: “We haven’t. This is your first time back since the path.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “That interview was four-plus — almost five years ago to the day, to be very honest with you. You guys want to re.litigate something from half a decade ago, and I think what you would rather have is me talking about what the future looks like for the next president of the United States and the policy differences between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.”
MELBER: “Corey, let’s be straight. You’re a clear, straight speaker. I gave you time. I didn’t lead with this. I gave you time to talk about 2024. You got that time. And this is now your chance to address this, and you’re not addressing it. That’s fine.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “Ari, you’re not addressing the fact — you’re not addressing the fact —
MELBER: “You want me to respond to you? Now we’re at the end of the interview. You want me to respond to that? Okay, I’m happy to, since we’re on live air — “
LEWANDOWSKI: “Do you agree that you were wrong?”
MELBER: “I’m going to respond to you on live air. I quoted a New York Times article that said, at the convention, Donald Trump was his own biggest prop. It was a New York Times quote about how he had become such an important figure in rebounding from what was a horrific assassination attempt. Fox News — Corey, I said I’m gonna address it, I’m gonna finish. Fox News, many viewers may not know about this, but apparently you do, and some do, Fox News, which has been taught caught in defamation, ran a false piece falsely stating that I said something else that I didn’t say. So, I stand on that. I stand on The New York Times quote.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “So you didn’t say, ‘This bandage was a prop, a spectacle, from a candidate who’s obsessed with spectacles?’“
MELBER: “I did not say that. Mr. Lewandowski, I did not say that. That is a false quote.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “I have it right here.”
MELBER: “What you have is a false quote. And I’m putting you on notice: If you continue to repeat falsely that I said that, you will be potentially in a defamation situation, because I didn’t say that. But I understand that you’re working off the internet, which has a lot of false information. I wish you luck with that. Corey Lewandowski, we gave you time, I appreciate you coming on.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “So you would apologize to the president?”
MELBER: “Thank you for joining me.”
LEWANDOWSKI: “You bet.”
MELBER: “Corey Lewandowski, Trump 2024, and we will be right back.”