Pelosi: I'd Have Held Lewandowski in Contempt

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler didn't hold Corey Lewandowski in contempt for his "completely unacceptable" behavior during a hearing Tuesday—but Nancy Pelosi would have been stricter. Sources tell Politico that the House speaker told a group of lawmakers Wednesday that she would have held President Trump's former campaign chief in contempt "right then and there." Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne later confirmed the remarks, saying that after a caucus member mentioned Lewandowski's disrespect for members of Congress, Pelosi agreed that his behavior was beyond the pale and contemptible. She added: "The Speaker went on to say that he could have been held in contempt right then and there."

During Tuesday's hearing, Lewandowski refused to answer questions about the potential obstruction of justice referred to in the Mueller report, mocked his Democratic questioners, talked over them, and promoted his possible Senate bid during a break in proceedings. Nadler said after the hearing that he was considering holding Lewandowski in contempt, but the committee took no steps to do so, the Hill reports. Pelosi and Nadler's conflicting stances on impeachment—he's all for it, while she advocates a more cautious approach—have caused friction in the Democratic caucus, but Etienne denied that Pelosi was criticizing Nadler, the Washington Post reports. "Her comments were a critique of the witnesses's behavior, not the handling of these hearings," she said. (More Corey Lewandowski stories.)