Nadler Claims He Didn’t Mean To Call Hope Hicks ‘Ms. Lewandowski’ Three Times

Amid calls of sexism, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY) claims he misspoke when he called former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks “Ms. Lewandowski” three times during her testimony before his committee Wednesday, CNN reported.

“I was asking a series of questions about Corey Lewandowski — so that was on my mind,” he told CNN. “People were whispering in my ear. Two different counsels talking to me, and I just screwed it up. There’s no reason to do that obviously.”

According to the transcript of her testimony, Nadler was asking about Lewandowski the three times he slipped up. In one instance, he was asking her about Lewandowski’s work with the campaign and the transition. The second time, he asked her about Lewandowski being asked to tell then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to un-recuse himself from the Russia probe. The third time, he was asked about another interaction between Lewandowski and Sessions.

“Yeah, Ms. Lewandowski, I think in reading this–” Nadler said.

“My name is Ms. Hicks,” she said.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Hicks, I’m preoccupied.”

Nadler has been criticized for the apparently inadvertent remarks, especially given the unconfirmed reports that Hicks and Lewandowski had an off-and-on relationship in the past.