Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was arrested and charged in Jupiter, Florida, with simple battery of former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, according to police.
Jupiter Police tell CNN that Lewandowski was arrested this morning after turning himself in on the misdemeanor charge of simple battery.
They said Lewandowski has been released and his initial court appearance is scheduled for May 4.
Campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement Tuesday that Lewandowski is “absolutely innocent of this charge,” and will plead not guilty.
“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 statement said.
The report states that Fields came to the Jupiter Police Department on March 11, three days after the alleged incident. According to the police officer who interviewed Fields that day, she indicated that after she asked Trump a question, she “felt someone yank her left arm” and 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.
The Jupiter Police Department has also released new video that shows the alleged incident from an overhead angle.
Lewandowski has publicly defended himself following the incident. At one point, Lewandoswki tweeted directly to Fields and said, “You are totally delusional. I never touched you. As a matter of fact, I have never even met you.”
Trump’s remaining Republican opponents quickly responded to the charges, with one senior adviser to John Kasich suggesting Lewandowski should be fired.
“If he worked for John Kasich he would be fired. Campaigns, though, always reflect the values of the candidate. I know ours does,” said John Weaver, Kasich’s chief strategist.
Alice Stewart, communications director for Ted Cruz, said: “This is what we have come to expect from the Trump team. Unfortunately, this abusive behavior seems to be part of the culture of the Trump campaign.”
Hicks said Lewandowski is being represented by Scott Richardson of The Law Office of Scott N. Richardson, P.A. in West Palm Beach and Kendall Coffey of Coffey Burlington in Miami, and referred all further inquiries to Richardson’s law office.
Fields, a regular guest on cable news, was working for Breitbart News at the time of the incident. The website, a favorite of Trump’s supporters, eventually defended Fields, but it was widely criticized for a tepid initial response to the alleged assault.
The following week, Fields and several other staffers resigned from Breitbart. She said, “I do not believe Breitbart News has adequately stood by me during the events of the past week and because of that I believe it is now best for us to part ways.”
