Breitbart reporter files criminal complaint against Trump campaign manager over alleged assault

The Breitbart reporter who claimed Donald Trump's campaign manager had grabbed her arm during a recent campaign rally has filed assault charges over the incident, according to a report.

Michelle Fields filed the complaint on Friday against Corey Lewandowski, one of Trump's top campaign aides.

Police confirmed an open investigation into the incident, which is being characterized as misdemeanor battery. The Independent Journal Review first reported the filing.

Video of the incident also emerged online that did little to contradict the claims of Fields. In it, Lewandowski can be seen talking to Terris just after it appears Fields was pulled.

In another video, Lewandowski can be seeing reaching toward Fields.

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The alleged assault occurred on Tuesday night during a Trump rally. Fields, a reporter for Breitbart, had been in a press holding area when she attempted to ask Trump a question. 

Fields said she was then pulled violently and nearly fell to the ground.

Washington Post reporter Ben Terris was also in the area and told Fields that it was Lewandowski that grabbed her, according to audio of the incident acquired by Politico.

The Trump campaign denied that Lewandowski had grabbed Fields. Fields responded with a tweet showing bruises on her arm.

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There is also some confusion over whether Lewandowski had previously admitted to a Breitbart editor that he had been the person who grabbed Fields.

Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson later said in an appearance on CNN that someone did grab Fields, but that it was not Lewandowski.

The complaint comes amid rising tensions at Trump events that have resulted in violence toward journalists and protesters. Last week, a Secret Service office choke slammed a Time magazine photographer that left a restricted area to take pictures of protesters.

The incident with Fields had already taken another bizarre twist on Friday when Breitbart published an article that disputed her claims and the account given by Terris. The article broke down video that is at best inconclusive.

Breitbart's spokesperson, Kurt Bardella, resigned shortly thereafter. "There is this escalating pattern of behavior that's only happening at Donald Trump events," Bardella told the Huffington Post. "It's incredibly dangerous. His rhetoric is unmistakable and it is calculated and it is intentional."

News broke about the criminal complaint shortly after the Breitbart story appeared.

The Trump campaign issued a statement via email shortly after news of the filing, although it was unclear who to attribute the account to:

"The accusation, which has only been made in the media and never addressed directly with the campaign, is entirely false. As one of the dozens of individuals present as Mr. Trump exited the press conference, I did not witness any encounter. In addition to our staff, which had no knowledge of said situation, not a single camera or reporter of more than 100 in attendance captured the alleged incident."

The email then links to the Breitbart story claiming to dispute the claims of Terris and Fields. Breitbart has since updated that story with screenshots from the CSPAN video that show Lewandowski reaching in Fields' direction. It still suggests, however, that Lewandowski was the victim of "mistaken identity." 

A request for comment sent to Fields was not immediately answered.

Updated: 6:29 P.M. EST, March 11, 2016

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