Trump campaign manager arrested, charged with battery of reporter
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 29 March, 2016, 11:47pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 29 March, 2016, 11:47pm
Reuters
US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s campaign manager was arrested in Florida on Tuesday and charged with battery, police records show.
The report from the Jupiter Police Department said Corey Lewandowski, 42, was charged for intentionally grabbing and bruising the arm of Michelle Fields, a reporter at the time for the conservative news outlet Breitbart, against her will at a Trump campaign event on March 8.
Lewandowski stands next to Trump during a news conference in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: Reuters
“Mr Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge,” Trump’s campaign said in a statement. “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.”
Simultaneously, the police department released a video showing the incident between Fields and Lewandowski. Unlike previous videos released by news networks which were at the news conference, the new video is not obscured by people.
The video shows Fields walking alongside Trump and then Lewandowski grabbing her arm and pulling her backward.
Trump’s rallies across the United States have been marked by rowdiness and physical contact between protesters and either his supporters or security personnel.
Lewandowski was charged with simple battery, defined under Florida law as intentionally touching or striking a person against their will. For a first offence, it is a misdemeanour in the first degree, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison or a fine of US$1,000.
