Trump campaign manager charged with battery for grabbing reporter's arm
Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was charged with simple battery in Florida on Tuesday, following an incident in March when he allegedly grabbed a female reporter's arm.
Former Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields filed a complaint alleging Lewandowski grabbed her arm during a Trump campaign event in Florida. Both Trump and Lewandowski denied her allegation.
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Lewandowski claimed the incident never happened and said he had never even met Fields.
But the Jupiter Police Department released surveillance footage that appeared to directly contradict Lewandowski's claims.
In the footage, Lewandowski can be seen grabbing Fields' arm.
Lewandowski was at the Jupiter Police Department on Tuesday morning and was released with a notice to appear in court on May 4. Simple battery is considered a misdemeanor in Florida.
Trump came to Lewandowski's defense in a Tweet sent Tuesday, saying the tapes showed there was "nothing there."
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Later Tuesday afternoon, Trump sent two tweets that alleged Fields grabbed him, and questioned whether he should press charges against Fields.
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Shortly after Trump's tweets, the reporter at the center of it all responded:
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The simple battery charge carries a penalty of up to a year of punishment, which could include jail, probation or some combination of the two, said H. Scott Fingerhut, the assistant director of the Trial Advocacy Program at Florida International University.
The charges for Trump's campaign manager come as the businessman looks for a primary victory on April 5 in Wisconsin, a state where he currently trails Sen. Ted Cruz in polls. It's a state that prides itself on Midwestern "nice" and a more civil political discourse.
Trump's campaign issued a statement on Tuesday, saying Lewandowski is "absolutely innocent."
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The charges stem from a Trump press conference on March 8, after four states cast primary votes in the GOP primary.
After the press conference, Fields attempted to ask Trump a question about affirmative action before she said she was grabbed by Lewandowski and pulled away from Trump.
Fields said Lewandowski grabbed her so forcefully that he bruised her.
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Lewandowski adamantly denied Fields' allegation following the incident, going as far as to say he "never even met" Fields.
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And the Trump campaign stood by Lewandowski in a statement following the incident.
"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."
During a campaign speech in Florida on March 15, Trump also backed up his campaign manager when he said "disgusting reporters, horrible people."
Lewandowski can be seen laughing behind Trump.
This is not the first time video footage has shown Lewandowski appearing to grab someone at a Trump event.
At a March 19 rally in Tucson, Arizona, Lewandowski is seen on video grabbing at the collar of a protester.
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Here's the full report from the Jupiter Police Department:
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Topics Donald Trump Elections Politics
Emily Cahn is a political reporter at Mashable. Prior to Mashable, Cahn spent nearly four years at Roll Call, where she covered House and Senate races and congressional shenanigans. She has also been a copy editor at The Washington Post, and interned at The Hill, the Houston Chronicle and CBS News when she was a student at The George Washington University. Aside from being a political junkie, Cahn loves dogs and experimenting with cooking. Follow her on Twitter @CahnEmily, where she posts pictures of her family's two misbehaved poodles.
