JERROLD NADLER SHOULDN'T HOST COREY LEWANDOWSKI'S CAMPAIGN KICKOFF RALLY

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing today, and it's already clear that it will be a bust.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler slammed the White House Monday for blocking 2 former aides from testifying before the committee and placing "unprecedented limitations" on former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski ahead of his appearance Tuesday.

... The House Judiciary Committee is trying to step up investigations in order to determine whether to recommend Trump’s impeachment for obstruction of justice and abuse of power.

... White House counsel Pat Cipollone said in a letter to Nadler Monday that having worked previously as senior White House aides, former Staff Secretary Rob Porter and former Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Dearborn were "absolutely immune" from congressional testimony.

Cipollone said in a separate letter that Lewandowski would be free to discuss his work on the Trump campaign and matters that have already been made public by Mueller, but not any other additional communications he may have had with Trump, the New York Times first reported.

Remind me again: What's the point of all this? Is it the fantasy that committee Democrats will wrest an acknowledgment of Trump wrongdoing out of a reluctant witness, in a scene straight out of a Perry Mason rerun? Instead, what Democrats get is stonewalling, defiance, or noncompliance. The so-called impeachment investigation proceeds at a crawl. The no-shows and refusals to answer questions on advice of counsel make Democrats look weak and helpless. Yet they keep doing this.

This isn't Charlie Brown falling on his face because Lucy whisked away the football just as he was about to kick it. This is Lucy announcing the night before the attempted kick that the football will be whisked away, after which Charlie Brown still tries to kick it, leading to the inevitable faceplant.

Democrats, at least don't give Corey Lewandowski this satisfaction:

If Corey Lewandowski goes forward with a run for the Senate in his home state of New Hampshire — which he's seriously considering, a spokesperson says — he'd be the first in Trump's inner circle to test those coattails.

... “Corey will use [the hearing] as part of the campaign. He will be confrontational to the Democrats. He will be totally loyal to Trump. And he will be playing to the right wing of the party who need to unite behind him in a primary," Thomas Rath, former attorney general of New Hampshire and adviser to several GOP presidential candidates, tells Axios.

Lewandowski is using these hearings to launch his New Hampshire Senate campaign. This is his kickoff rally. He's going to be recalcitrant and obnoxious and Trumpian, and as a result he'll increase his lead in GOP primary polling. (On the other hand, he trails the incumbent, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, by 10 in general election polling.)

Why provide Lewandowski an opportunity to rally the faithful -- and, no doubt, follow up with a rousing appearance or two on Fox? Why give him that satisfaction?

Announce at the last minute that you're taking his testimony in private. Deprive him of footage he can use in his campaign -- and regain some dignity in the process.

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UPDATE: As I was saying...

Excited about the opportunity to remind the American people today there was no collusion no obstruction. There were lots of angry Democrats who tried to take down a duly elected President. Tune in. #Senate2020.

— Corey R. Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) September 17, 2019