Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was charged Tuesday with battery of former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields.
Lewandowski
was released with a notice to appear and no mug shot is available,
Jupiter Police Department Public Information Officer Adam Brown said.
The
police department in Jupiter, Florida released the arrest report
Tuesday morning along with video footage that shows Lewandowski reaching
out and touching Fields at the end of a Trump press conference earlier
this month at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter.
Republican
Presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey
Lewandowski (C) is seen allegedly grabbing the arm of reporter Michelle
Fields in this still frame from video taken March 8, 2016 and released
by the Jupiter (Florida) Police Department March 29, 2016.
REUTERS
The report says Fields came to the Jupiter Police Department on March 11 to report a battery that happened four days earlier.
Officer Marc Bujnowski said he interviewed Fields about the incident.
The affidavit says at the press conference, Fields asked Trump a
question and suddenly felt someone "yank her left arm." It goes on to
say, "She added that she fell back, but caught herself from falling."
"Fields
showed me her left forearm, which revealed bruising from what appeared
to be several finger marks indicating a grabbing type injury," the
officer wrote in the report.
The officer said Fields played him
audio from her interaction with Trump and the officer then contacted
Washington Post reporter Ben Terris who witnessed Lewandowski "yank"
Fields's arm and who confirmed what Fields said about the incident.
A
day after the interview with Fields, the officer said he obtained video
footage from Trump security of the incident taking place in the venue's
ballroom. He said Fields is seen on the video, which shows Lewandowski
extending his left arm out and reaching for Fields's left arm with his
left hand.
"Lewandowski then grabbed Fields's left arm with his
right hand, causing her to turn and step back. This motion cleared a
path for Lewandowski to walk past Fields, allowing him to "catch up" and
get closer to Trump, who was walking during this entire incident," the
officer said in the report.
Based on the department's
investigation, the officer said "probable cause exists to charge Corey
Lewandowski" with one count of "simple battery" because he intentionally
touched Fields against her will.
But Trump and his campaign are rejecting the charge. He said on Twitter that the video footage doesn't show or prove anything.
Wow,
Corey Lewandowski, my campaign manager and a very decent man, was just
charged with assaulting a reporter. Look at tapes-nothing there!
Trump also alleges that Fields grabbed him at the event and asked on Twitter Tuesday if he can press charges.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/714891184867508224
"Mr. Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge. 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," the campaign said in a
statement Tuesday.
The campaign said inquiries about the incident should be directed to Lewandowski's attorney, who's based in West Palm Beach.
"We
have total confidence in our campaign manager and we feel that he's
going to be exonerated," Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said on CNN
Tuesday, adding that she is often "smacked around by TV networks."
Ted Cruz's campaign also weighed in on the charge.
"Unfortunately,
this abusive behavior seems to be part of the culture of the Trump
campaign. Personal attacks, verbal attacks, and now physical attacks
have no place in politics or anywhere else in our society," Cruz
spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said.
John Kasich's senior strategist, John Weaver, also weighed in on Twitter.
Campaigns
reflect the values of the candidate. I know ours does. If this bully
worked for John Kasich, he would have been fired long ago.
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