Trump campaign chief charged with battery
He must appear in court after row with reporter in S. Florida
With Donald Trump already fending off criticism for violence at his campaign events, now Trump’s campaign manager faces a charge of battery for a clash with a reporter in Jupiter.
The Jupiter Police Department on Tuesday issued Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, 42, a notice to appear in court on May 4 to answer to a misdemeanor charge of simple battery.
According to a police report, Lewandowski grabbed the arm of Michelle Fields, 28, as she and other reporters attempted to interview Trump, who was leaving a ballroom at the Trump National Golf Club just before 10 p.m. on March 8.
Police said Fields was holding her cellphone up to record Trump’s comments when Lewandowksi pulled on her left arm
to yank her away from Trump.
That allowed Lewandowski to pass Fields and get closer to Trump, who kept walking through the crowd of media and autograph seekers throughout the incident, according to the police report.
Three days later, when Fields met with Jupiter Police, there were bruises on her left arm that appeared to be finger marks left by being grabbed, according to police.
The Trump campaign released a statement Tuesday saying: “Mr. Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge.
“He will enter a plea of not guilty and looks forward to his day in court. He is completely confident that he will be exonerated.”
A charge of simple battery, a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida, is punishable by up to a year in prison and as much as a $1,000 fine.
In addition to announcing the battery charge on Tuesday, Jupiter Police released a video that the department maintains supports Fields’ account of being yanked on the arm by Lewandowski.
Trumpon Tuesday took to Twitter calling Lewandowski “a very decent man” and saying video of the incident shows there was “nothing there,” while also implying that Fields exaggerated her earlier accounts of the incident.
Trump in one of his tweets questioned why Fields was “allowed to grab me and shout questions,” and he asked, “Can I press charges?”
Fields responded to Trump via Twitter, saying her story never changed. “Seriously, just stop lying,” she tweeted.
The charge facing Lewandowski comes at a time when Trump has been criticized for violence flaring up between protesters and supporters at his campaign events.
Trump’s rivals in the race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination seized on news of the charge facing his campaign manager.
“If he worked for John Kasich hewould be fired,” said John Weaver, a senior adviser to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said about Lewandowski. “Campaigns though always reflect the values of the candidate. I know ours does.”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said the incident is “the consequence of the culture of the Trump campaign — the abusive culture when you have a campaign that is built on personal insults, on attacks and now physical violence.”
“That has no place in a political campaign, it has no place in our democracy,” Cruz told reporters as he campaigned in Wisconsin, suggesting that “it helps clarify for the voters what the Trump campaign is all about.”
In response to a question about howthe charge facing Lewandowski reflects on the Trump campaign, campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks on Tuesday reiterated the campaign statement issued soon after the charge was announced.
Before the charge was announced and the video was released, Lewandowski and his boss hadn’t been shy about voicing their opinions about Fields’ claim.
Earlier this month, Lewandowski via Twitter called Fields “delusional” and said “I never touched you.” Trump called the allegation “entirely false.”
Lewandowski could not be reached for comment Tuesday, despite attempts by phone and email.
Lewandowski’s West Palm Beach attorney Scott Richardson, when contacted for comment, deferred to the statement released Tuesday by the Trump campaign.
Fields could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Fields at the time of the incident was working for a conservative news website, the Breitbart News Network.
But Fields has since left the Breitbart News Network, along with several other staffers who were critical of the company and its coverage of the Trump campaign.