Corey Lewandowski really hates the media. During his testimony in front of a congressional committee exploring presidential impeachment, he admitted lying on national television. But it’s okay, he said, because he’s under no obligation to be honest when speaking to the media. In fact, he would only cop to being truthful while under oath, so beware, voters of New Hampshire. If he decides to run for Senate, you’ll want to be sure he’s sworn in before he makes any campaign promises.
Weirdly, though, he could not stop pointing out that his books were New York Times bestsellers. It’s odd, isn’t it, that people who spend so much time bashing the mainstream media also grasp at its validation when it suits them. If you’re a person who believes the New York Times can’t be trusted, then it follows that its bestseller list is meaningless. So why brag about it? Lewandowski should stick to bragging about literary accolades from Fox News and Breitbart. So should everyone else who screams about fake news and the “lame-stream” media.
And it’s not just the media, Lewandowski also hates the Ivy League elites. He snarked several times about the fact that he doesn’t have a Harvard Law education. He seemed to be bringing this up as a defense for his ignorance about basic legal matters, but you don’t need a Harvard Law degree to understand that obstructing justice is a criminal offense. What I mostly gleaned from Lewandowski’s Harvard Law refrain was regret. I get the feeling Lewandowski would LOVE to be able to say he went to Harvard Law.
Lewandowski hates Congress. His derision for the elected lawmakers who questioned him was clear and unambiguous. Yet, he used the platform they gave him to launch a SuperPac for a potential Senate run. He hates them, but he really wants to be one of them.
Lewandowski seems desperate to belong to the institutions he scorns. And, in fact, he has served as a visiting fellow at Harvard. His books have appeared on New York Times bestseller lists. Media outlets invite him on to lie about stuff all the time.
So why is he so angry?
Because Lewandowski may have finagled his way into the halls of the Ivy League, he may have fought his way into the pundit chair of major media outlets, he may have written (or had someone else write) his way into the pages of the New York Times, but he cannot seem to crack into the one place he really, really wants to belong. In his books and in the hearings this week, Lewandowski talked about how excited he was to be considered for a job in the White House.
But the opportunity never came. Trump dangled the promise of a job and then snatched it away. Yet Lewandowski continues to defend Trump, the one man who refuses to give him what he wants. I suspect Lewandowski doesn’t trust anyone who gives him a seat at the table, because he understands that inviting him into the group devalues the group. He doesn’t want to be a part of any club that will have him.
Trump’s primary talent is identifying people’s weaknesses and exploiting them for his own gain. He was never going to bring a man like Lewandowski into the White House. But he lied and said he would so that Lewandowski would do his bidding. Then he reneged on his promise. And yet Lewandowski loves Trump. He can’t get enough of the man who won’t give him what he wants. It’s sad. Tragic, even.
Lewandowski doesn’t hate the media. He doesn’t hate the lawmakers. He doesn’t hate the Ivy League elites. Lewandowski hates himself.
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