Corey Lewandowski defended President Trump on Wednesday for allegedly telling former FBI Director James Comey that he “expects loyalty.”
In planned testimony released Wednesday set to be delivered to lawmakers on Thursday, Comey is expected to say that Trump told him during a private dinner in January: “I need loyalty; I expect loyalty.”
Lewandowski, who served as campaign manager for Trump up until last summer, said on Fox News on Thursday that Trump was referring to dedication to the best interests of the U.S. and not loyalty to Trump.
“What the president asked for is loyalty to the country and loyalty to make sure that people have the justice system that they want,” Lewandowski said. “That is not unheard of, and that is not unheard of. What the president asked for and the president-elect was to develop a rapport with the FBI director.”
Lewandowski went on to praise Trump for reportedly having nine separate conversations with Comey, which easily beats the two in-person talks Comey had with former President Barack Obama.
Lewandowski wasn’t the only Trump ally to defend the president over Comey’s testimony. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dismissed Trump’s language as being harmless “normal New York City conversation.”
