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Trump campaign manager charged with battery in Florida Trump campaign manager charged with battery in Florida
(about 1 hour later)
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump defended his campaign manager as a “very decent man” Tuesday, hours after the staffer was charged with battery in Florida for allegedly grabbing a reporter and yanking her away from Trump.Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump defended his campaign manager as a “very decent man” Tuesday, hours after the staffer was charged with battery in Florida for allegedly grabbing a reporter and yanking her away from Trump.
Corey Lewandowski, 42, faces one misdemeanor count of battery as a result of the March 8 incident. He voluntarily went to police headquarters in Jupiter, Fla., and signed paperwork that ordered him to appear in court on May 4.Corey Lewandowski, 42, faces one misdemeanor count of battery as a result of the March 8 incident. He voluntarily went to police headquarters in Jupiter, Fla., and signed paperwork that ordered him to appear in court on May 4.
In the past, campaign staffers have been fired for far less. But Trump did not dismiss Lewandowski on Tuesday, and neither of them apologized. The police also released a new video of the event, taken from the security cameras at Trump’s own golf course. It directly contradicted what Trump and Lewandowski had both said about the incident in the past.
“I don’t discard people. I stay with people,” Trump said. They had asserted that Lewandowski never touched the reporter, Michelle Fields.
Instead, the candidate praised his campaign manager — and offered a new explanation of the incident, which directly contradicted what both Lewandowski and Trump had said about it in the past. In the video, he does — grabbing her hard enough to pull her backwards.
Before, Trump and Lewandowski had both denied that Lewandowski touched the reporter at all. On Tuesday, Trump said Lewandowski had touched her, but for a good reason. In the past, campaign staffers have been fired for far less. But Trump did not dismiss Lewandowski on Tuesday, and neither of them apologized. “I don’t discard people. I stay with people,” Trump said.
“She’s grabbing at me,” Trump told reporters in an interview on his plane. “And he’s acting as an intermediary and trying to block her from doing that.” It was an extreme example of Trump’s approach to campaigning, one apparently based on the idea that the only mistake in politics is to apologize.
It was an extreme example of Trump’s approach to campaigning, one apparently based on the idea that the only mistake in politics is to apologize. In this case, that approach seems to have backfired: by refusing to admit any fault, Trump and Lewandowski appeared to have transformed the grab of an arm into a weeks-long controversy, a criminal charge, and a TV-ready illustration of how they have disregarded the truth. In this case, that approach seems to have backfired: by refusing to admit any fault, Trump and Lewandowski appeared to have transformed the grab of an arm into a weeks-long controversy, a criminal charge, and a TV-ready illustration of how they have disregarded the truth.
That illustration was a new videotape — taken at Trump National Golf Club, and obtained by the Jupiter police — that captured the alleged battery. As the day went on, Trump himself offered increasingly strident defenses of Lewandowski. All ran counter to his earlier statements that the contact never occurred. Trump conceded that Lewandowski had touched Fields, but implied it was Fields’s fault for “grabbing” at the candidate — although the photo Trump posted didn’t show a grab, but rather showed the reporter brushing the candidate with the back of her hand.
The video appeared to show Lewandowski grabbing Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields as she sought to ask Trump a question after a primary-night news conference. In the footage, Lewandowski seemed to reach through the crowd and grab Fields forcefully enough to stop her forward motion, while Trump walked on ahead. Then Trump wondered if he could file charges against the reporter.
In response to the camera footage, Trump dropped his old explanation of the events. Instead, Trump seemed to concede that Lewandowski had, in fact, grabbed the reporter after all. And then, at the end of the day, Trump was back to implying that Fields had lied about the incident — if the grab was as bad as she said, the GOP front-runner said, why hadn’t she screamed?
But now, Trump suggested that the contact was less serious than Fields had claimed. In fact, Trump implied, the grab may have been justified because the reporter was pressing too closely to the candidate. “How do you know those bruises weren’t there before? I’m not a lawyer,” Trump told reporters on his plane, referring to finger-shaped bruises that Fields showed to the police. “Wouldn’t you think she would have yelled out a scream or something if she has bruises on her arm?”
“Why is she allowed to grab me and shout questions? Can I press charges?” Trump wrote on Twitter. Fields did not reply to a request for comment on Tuesday. She resigned from Breitbart on March 14 after the news organization raised questions about whether Lewandowski had actually grabbed her.
Later, Trump tweeted another photo that seemed to show Fields’s hand brushing against his suit jacket, while holding an object the size and shape of a pen. On Twitter, she responded Tuesday to one of Trump’s messages by saying, “seriously, just stop lying.”
“Why is this reporter touching me as I leave news conference? What is in her hand??” Trump tweeted. The charge against Lewandowski is explained in an affidavit written by Marc Bujnowski, a detective with the Jupiter Police Department.
Trump also questioned whether Fields had exaggerated the severity of the yank on her arm, wondering why she had not yelled out.
“How do you know those bruises weren’t there before? I’m not a lawyer,” Trump told reporters on his plane. “Wouldn’t you think she would have yelled out a scream or something if she has bruises on her arm.”
Fields did not reply to a request for comment. She resigned from Breitbart on March 14 after the news organization raised questions about whether Lewandowski had actually grabbed her.
On Twitter, she responded Tuesday to one of Trump’s tweets by saying, “seriously, just stop lying.”
The charge against Lewandowski is explained in an affidavit written by Marc Bujnowski of the Jupiter Police Department.
Beyond the security-camera footage, the affidavit cited interviews with Fields and said Bujnowski had seen bruises on Fields’s forearm. They “appeared to be several finger marks, consistent with a grabbing type injury,” he wrote. Bujnowski also interviewed Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, who saw the incident and described it in print. The affidavit does not indicate whether Lewandowski was interviewed by police.Beyond the security-camera footage, the affidavit cited interviews with Fields and said Bujnowski had seen bruises on Fields’s forearm. They “appeared to be several finger marks, consistent with a grabbing type injury,” he wrote. Bujnowski also interviewed Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, who saw the incident and described it in print. The affidavit does not indicate whether Lewandowski was interviewed by police.
“Lewandowski . . . grabbed Fields’ left arm with his right hand, causing her to turn and step back,” Bujnowski wrote in the affidavit. It continued: “Probable cause exists to charge Corey Lewandowski . . . with (1) count of Simple Battery.”“Lewandowski . . . grabbed Fields’ left arm with his right hand, causing her to turn and step back,” Bujnowski wrote in the affidavit. It continued: “Probable cause exists to charge Corey Lewandowski . . . with (1) count of Simple Battery.”
[Terris’s story: Lewandowski, and other Trump staffers, willing to fight for him]
In a statement defending Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign on Tuesday gave no indication that he would be suspended or otherwise removed from his duties as campaign manager.
“Mr. Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge. He will enter a plea of not guilty and looks forward to his day in court,” campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in the statement. “He is completely confident that he will be exonerated.”
Hicks said Lewandowski will be represented by Florida lawyers Scott Richardson and Kendall Coffey. A well-known legal figure in South Florida, Coffey was the U.S. attorney there in the 1990s, but he resigned after allegations that he bit an exotic dancer on the arm at a nightclub, according to press reports.
A spokesman for the Jupiter Police Department said Lewandowski was not handcuffed and — as is common in misdemeanor cases — did not have a mug shot taken. After being informed that he would be charged, police said, Lewandowski voluntarily went to police headquarters.
“He came in by himself, without us picking him up, and signed his notice to appear,” said officer Joseph Beinlich, a Jupiter police spokesman.
Under Florida law, battery is committed when a person “actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other.”Under Florida law, battery is committed when a person “actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other.”
On Tuesday, both of Trump’s remaining rivals for the GOP nomination criticized his handling of the incident. Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he would have fired Lewandowski if such an incident had happened in his campaign, according to press reports. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) linked the incident to outbreaks of violence against protesters at Trump’s rallies — violence that, at times, the front-runner has seemed to encourage. A spokesman for the Jupiter Police Department said Lewandowski was not handcuffed and did not have a mug shot taken. After being informed that he would be charged, police said, Lewandowski voluntarily went to police headquarters.
“It’s a very sad development,” Cruz told reporters outside a restaurant in Milwaukee, where he was campaigning ahead of next week’s Wisconsin GOP primary. “This 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.” “He came in by himself, without us picking him up, and signed his notice to appear,” said officer Joseph Beinlich, a Jupiter police spokesman.
[Terris’s story: Lewandowski, and other Trump staffers, willing to fight for him]
In a statement defending Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign said he will be represented by Florida lawyers Scott Richardson and Kendall Coffey. A well-known legal figure in South Florida, Coffey was the U.S. attorney there in the 1990s, but he resigned after allegations that he bit an exotic dancer on the arm at a nightclub, according to press reports.
“Mr. Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge. He will enter a plea of not guilty and looks forward to his day in court,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in the statement. “He is completely confident that he will be exonerated.”
Trump still leads in the race for Republican delegates, although it is still possible that he will fall short of the 1,237 needed to win the party’s nomination without a convention fight. The next GOP primary will be next week in Wisconsin, where Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) are in a close race.
In the meantime, however, Trump’s hard-edged — and increasingly personal — approach to politics seems to be alienating the broader electorate he would need in a general election. Sixty-seven percent of Americans said they had an unfavorable impression of Trump in a Washington Post-ABC News poll this month, surpassing the highest negative marks for any presidential candidate in over three decades of Post-ABC polling.
On Tuesday, both of Trump’s remaining rivals for the GOP nomination criticized his handling of the incident.
“It’s a very sad development,” Cruz told reporters outside a restaurant in Milwaukee. “This is the consequence of the culture of the Trump campaign. The abusive culture. When you have [is] a campaign that is built on personal insults, on attacks, and now physical violence. That has no place in a political campaign.” Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he would have fired Lewandowski if such an incident had happened in his campaign, according to press reports.
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, also campaigning in Wisconsin, said Trump is ultimately responsible for what happens at his events and accused him of “inciting violent behavior, aggressive behavior, that I think is very dangerous.” She praised Fields for pursuing charges in the case but stopped short of calling for Lewandowski to be fired.Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, also campaigning in Wisconsin, said Trump is ultimately responsible for what happens at his events and accused him of “inciting violent behavior, aggressive behavior, that I think is very dangerous.” She praised Fields for pursuing charges in the case but stopped short of calling for Lewandowski to be fired.
Fields said she filed the complaint in part because Lewandowski and the Trump campaign had denied that the incident occurred at all. In this case, it appears that Trump and Lewandowski had helped bring on this criminal investigation — by publicly denying that Fields was telling the truth.
“I didn’t want to file a criminal complaint. I never wanted to do that,” she told Megyn Kelly of Fox News on March 14. “I needed a report to show people that this happened.”
In fact, in the days after the incident, Trump’s campaign said it believed Fields was grabbed by another man in Trump’s entourage — possibly a security official.In fact, in the days after the incident, Trump’s campaign said it believed Fields was grabbed by another man in Trump’s entourage — possibly a security official.
Trump, asked about it after a Republican debate, told CNN that he believed Fields had fabricated the story.Trump, asked about it after a Republican debate, told CNN that he believed Fields had fabricated the story.
“This was, in my opinion, made up,” Trump told CNN then. “Everybody said nothing happened. Perhaps she made the story up. I think that’s what happened.”“This was, in my opinion, made up,” Trump told CNN then. “Everybody said nothing happened. Perhaps she made the story up. I think that’s what happened.”
Even after Fields had filed her complaint, Lewandowski continued to say he had never touched Fields. In a previously unpublished interview with The Washington Post — conducted last Wednesday, before charges were filed, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach — Lewandowski continued to assert that he never made contact with Fields. Fields said she was spurred to file a criminal complaint, to show that she had not lied.
“I didn’t want to file a criminal complaint. I never wanted to do that,” she told Megyn Kelly of Fox News on March 14. “I needed a report to show people that this happened.”
Even after the complaint was filed, Lewandowski was continuing to stick to the story that he had never touched Fields. In a previously unpublished interview with The Washington Post — conducted last Wednesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach — Lewandowski continued to assert that he never made contact with Fields.
He said it was wrong to think that he had cleared Fields away from Trump’s path because he thought she would ask him an uncomfortable question.He said it was wrong to think that he had cleared Fields away from Trump’s path because he thought she would ask him an uncomfortable question.
“Just the premise that Breitbart is going to ask Mr. Trump a question that he can’t handle, and I’m so concerned what this question might be — on its face, that is just an egregious notion,” Lewandowski said.“Just the premise that Breitbart is going to ask Mr. Trump a question that he can’t handle, and I’m so concerned what this question might be — on its face, that is just an egregious notion,” Lewandowski said.
A reporter pointed out that Terris, the Post reporter, saw the incident unfold.A reporter pointed out that Terris, the Post reporter, saw the incident unfold.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what Ben did or didn’t see. I have no idea, but I’m not calling into question anything other than the fact that I don’t know him. He and I have never met,” Lewandowski said. “I don’t know Ben, and I don’t know [Fields], and I’ve never met her.”“I don’t know. I don’t know what Ben did or didn’t see. I have no idea, but I’m not calling into question anything other than the fact that I don’t know him. He and I have never met,” Lewandowski said. “I don’t know Ben, and I don’t know [Fields], and I’ve never met her.”
But, even then, the police case was heading toward its conclusion.
Law enforcement experts said that, once Fields filed her complaint, Jupiter police had no choice: they were bound to investigate it. And, once they investigated it, they found what appeared to be straightforward evidence: an overhead camera that showed Fields being grabbed.
And once police found “probable cause” that a crime was committed — a legal standard that means it is more likely the crime was committed than not — they could file charges.
“She made a formal complaint so that is why they handled it the way that they did,” said Barry Maxwell, a defense attorney and former prosecutor in Florida.
In theory, Lewandowski could face up to a year in county jail if convicted. But attorneys and legal experts said that was highly unlikely. Lewandowski could fight the charges, perhaps by arguing that he saw Fields as a threat to Trump’s safety. And, even in the case of a conviction, experts said first-time offenders convicted of battery are often sent to anger-management courses, not jail.
Callum Borchers, Jose A. DelReal, Karen Tumulty, Sean Sullivan and Abby Phillip contributed to this report.Callum Borchers, Jose A. DelReal, Karen Tumulty, Sean Sullivan and Abby Phillip contributed to this report.