Kellyanne Conway says ‘lunatic’ assaulted her

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has detailed an alleged assault against her that she says occurred last year in the presence of her middle school-aged daughter. Her account was broadcast in a CNN interview Friday.

Mary Elizabeth Inabinett, 63, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, faces misdemeanor charges in the alleged October assault, according to court records. She was charged in November.

The alleged assault occurred as Conway was attending a birthday party on Oct. 14 at a Mexican restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland, Conway told police. The incident started when Conway thought someone was trying to tell her goodbye as she left the party, The Washington Post reported.

“She was just unhinged. She was out of control,” Conway told CNN of the alleged assault. “She ought to pay for that because she has no right to touch anybody.”

Conway’s account is disputed by Inabinett’s attorney, William Alden McDaniel, Jr., who described his client’s actions as a First Amendment expression of “personal opinions.”

“Ms. Inabinett saw Kellyanne Conway, a public figure, in a public place, and exercised her First Amendment right to express her personal opinions,” McDaniel said in a statement quoted by CNN. “She did not assault Ms. Conway. The facts at trial will show this to be true, and show Ms. Conway’s account to be false.” Inabinett will plead not guilty. “Her ‘First Amendment’ right to scream like a lunatic does not include touching me or anyone else,” Conway told The Associated Press.

A court document shows that Conway reported a woman allegedly grabbed her shoulders from behind and shook her.