Donald Trump’s Campaign Manager Turns Himself in to Police

By Lauren Boudreau 2 min read

Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, has turned himself in to police and been charged with misdemeanor battery and simple assault for grabbing the arm of a Breitbart reporter at a Trump rally earlier this month.

The reporter, Michelle Fields, posted a photo of her bruises to social media and refused to back down even after Breitbart editor-at-large Joel Pollak wrote a long, and now changed, article that disputed her claims of being grabbed at the rally.

https://twitter.com/MichelleFields/status/708005032839548929

Based on the evidence available at the time with no video and weak description. Clearly I was wrong; @bterris right. https://t.co/LrPnS7b5DC

— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) March 29, 2016

Fields, along with a few other Breitbart employees, quit their jobs as protest.

Now, however, Lewandowski admits that he did grab Fields, despite previously tweeting that she was “delusional” and that he never met her.

@MichelleFields you are totally delusional. I never touched you. As a matter of fact, I have never even met you.

— Corey R. Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) March 11, 2016

A video released by the Jupiter, Florida police department supports Fields’ story that she was forcibly grabbed.

In her claim, she wrote that she went to ask Trump a question as he wandered around talking to journalists, but “before he could answer I was jolted backwards. Someone had grabbed me tightly by the arm and yanked me down. I almost fell to the ground, but was able to maintain my balance. Nonetheless, I was shaken.”

Trump himself also supported Lewandowski’s claims that Fields was out of line, saying that Lewandowski is a “very decent man.”

Wow, Corey Lewandowski, my campaign manager and a very decent man, was just charged with assaulting a reporter. Look at tapes-nothing there!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016

Why aren't people looking at this reporters earliest statement as to what happened, that is before she found out the episode was on tape?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016

Trump has been under fire a lot lately for sexist behavior as he tweeted a photo making fun of Ted Cruz’s wife.

“@Don_Vito_08: “A picture is worth a thousand words” @realDonaldTrump #LyingTed #NeverCruz @MELANIATRUMP pic.twitter.com/5bvVEwMVF8“

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2016

Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night told Trump he had the argument “of a 5-year-old” when questioning why Trump would tweet such a thing.

VIDEO: Trump on Cruz: "He started it." Cooper: "That's the argument of a five year-old." https://t.co/P5xxdMd4R5

— Zach Wolf (@zbyronwolf) March 30, 2016

On Tuesday night, Trump also confirmed he would not support another G.O.P. nominee if it isn’t himself.