During a closed-door testimony on Wednesday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler just couldn’t quite remember Hope Hicks’ name.
He knew exactly what he was doing, though. The New York Democrat addressed Hicks as “Ms. Lewandowski” three times, insulting her while he questioned her about Corey Lewandowski, President Trump’s former campaign manager with whom Hicks was alleged to have had an affair.
Hicks, who served as Trump’s communications director, was called before the House Judiciary Committee for a closed-door deposition to reveal dirt on Trump, in what Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, referred to as a “political stunt.”
Nothing made that more clear than Nadler’s repeated jabs, which had no bearing on the matter at hand. Per the transcript of the testimony, released yesterday:
Hicks: As a former senior adviser to the president, I’m following the instructions from the White House. …
Nadler: Ms. Lewandowski — sorry — Ms. Hicks, read the next two sentences also if you have it.
Hicks: Sure. The president directed that Sessions should give a speech publicly announcing — the dictated message went on to state. …
Nadler: Yeah. Ms. Lewandowski, I think, in reading this —
Hicks: My name is Ms. Hicks.
Nadler: I’m sorry, Ms. Hicks. I’m preoccupied.
Nadler called Hicks “Ms. Lewandowski” three times, before she finally objected. That’s not a slip, or a preoccupation. That’s a stunt.
Rep. Devin Nunes, a Republican from California, said sources inside the deposition called the line of questioning from Democrats creepy.
“My sources that were inside and did the interviewing said it was quite embarrassing to watch the Democratic congressmen essentially ask Hope Hicks about her love life,” Nunes said. “I think that’s very bizarre to have a bunch of old, pervy congressmen asking somebody who has no new information about her love life. I think the American people would be ashamed if they knew what actually happened in that room.”
If Nadler had wanted real answers from Hicks, he wouldn’t have called her by Lewandowski’s name. Regardless of her alleged affair, Hicks was called in to testify about Trump, not defend her personal life.
If the parties were reversed, and Nadler were a Republican while Hicks were a Democrat, the media would’ve been floored. This would have had wall-to-wall coverage. Republican leaders would have been asked to answer for their chairman. Committee members would have been asked if the gavel should be stripped. Instead, mostly conservative outlets reported on the comments. The Daily Beast asserted it was an accident.
“The second time Nadler called Hicks by the wrong name, he realized he had erred. … After apologizing, Nadler repeated his mistake to Hick’s dismay,” the website reported, misspelling Hicks’ name in the process, as if Nadler’s comments hadn’t been intentional.
The comments were clearly a ploy to belittle Hicks and catch her off guard, and they only served as another distraction in the deposition. If the Democrats don’t want Republicans thinking they’re pursuing more political theater, maybe they should start acting more serious.
