Former Donald Trump campaign manager and CNN contributor Corey Lewandowski on Tuesday night suggested that President Obama did not release his Harvard transcripts in order to hide that he was not born in the United States.
The comment came during a raucous CNN panel discussion in which CNN commentator Angela Rye mentioned that Donald Trump was the “spokesperson for the birther movement” and had called for Obama to release his Harvard transcripts.
“Did he ever release his transcripts from Harvard?” Lewandowski then asked.
As Rye mentioned that Trump has not released his tax returns, Lewandowski continued to ask whether Obama released his transcripts.
CNN host Don Lemon then jumped in to ask Lewnadowski how Obama’s Harvard records are “germane to the election.”
“Look, the only reason it’s germane is because she brought the issue up, and said Donald Trump raised the issue of his Harvard transcripts. And I just simply said, ‘Have those transcripts ever been released?’ And the question was ‘Did he get in as a U.S. citizen, or was he brought in to Harvard University as a citizen who wasn’t from this country?’ I don’t know the answer,” Lewandowski said in response.
Later, when challenged to say where Obama was from, Lewandowski said that the President is from Hawaii.
Watch the exchange via Media Matters:
