- In other words, its the lie stupid
- Lewandowski needs to go
We seem to pretty clearly have a situation where the Trump campaign disregarded the sound warning in our subject line in the case of the Lewandowski / Fields affair.*
Corey Lewandowski is Donald Trump’s campaign manager (still) and by the way a former state trooper. That last statement might be considered of some exculpatory significance as to his part in the “affair” had other aspects to the tempest not come to fore.
Michelle Fields was a reporter for Brietbart News. A couple of weeks ago, Fields was grabbed, arguably roughly, as she appeared to press Trump, as reporters are not shy of doing to get responses to their questions, while Trump was being ushered out after a campaign event (and news conference). Fields subsequently accused Lewandowski based on identification provided by another reporter of what came to be termed a battery. She let her superiors at Brietbart know of her view of the incident.
Short circuiting some related aspects unrelated to my point here, we are informed that Ms Fields was inclined to settle the matter if she received an apology. Instead she got an unselective “Trump” treatment — deny, don’t apologize, attack – denigrate. Such treatment is credible given incredible or hypocritical attacks. But when an accusation is at least arguable such a political instinct does not serve as well as the Trump people think. If the accusation is corroborated and pretty clearly true by video evidence, apology would be both easier and smarter. They did not choose the route of truth and Fields filed a police report.
The video evidence embedded here has been known for more than a week, earlier video clips we saw regarding the incident were not clear to us, and probably not to many others. Innocence was arguable. But even at that at least two people knew what the truth was. One who knows the truth, Lewandowski with Donald Trump swearing to his subordinate’s veracity, admitted of nothing, denied and attacked. Looking at the latest video above we clearly see Lewandowski grabbing Fields. Fields told the truth, Lewandowski did not. Lewandowski has now been charged with simple misdemeanor battery by law enforcement in Florida.
From Lewandowski Twitter account
Corey Lewandowski@MichelleFields you are totally delusional. I never touched you. As a matter of fact, I have never even met you.
Statement of Donald Trump campaign:
The Trump campaign denied the encounter today, calling it “entirely false.”
“The accusation, which has only been made in the media and never addressed directly with the campaign, is entirely false,” Trump campaign press secretary Hope Hicks said in a statement. “As one of dozens of individuals present as Mr. Trump exited the press conference I did not witness any encounter. In addition to our staff, which had no knowledge of said situation, not a single camera or reporter of more than 100 in attendance captured the alleged incident.”
Reported statements of Donald Trump
Trump Fires Back – Defends Lewandowski
In this case, he strongly defends Lewandowski saying that if he believed the allegations were true he would have fired him, but that the video proves Lewandowski’s innocence.
Donald Trump defends campaign manager Corey Lewandowski charged with battery
Trump on Tuesday reversed a previous position that the incident never happened, suggesting instead that Lewandowski was trying to block Fields from “grabbing and asking questions.”
Our purpose here is not to argue whether Lewandowski’s grab of Fields deserved a police report or charge. We don’t think it does and would even be willing to give Lewandowski some slack for his protective instinct as a former state trooper. But he lied (certainly by the standards Trump uses for others saying some thing they disagreed with). Lewandowski accused others of lying. His boss repeated the lie, attacked, and denigrated.
Fields was a recognizable credentialed reporter who had gone through security checks. The Secret Service protectors we supply Trump were not as concerned about Fields. Lewandowski overreacted if he was not also trying to specifically intimidate. It also does not matter that the prosecutor in Florida is a Hillary supporter. The bigger “crime,” even if political, is that Lewandowski called somebody else delusional when it was he who was untruthful.
He should resign. It would help protect his boss. He can’t be fired now because that is scapegoating and his boss was not innocent in his own chauvinism, never mind that he said he would fire him if it was true (Trump holds himself to a different performance standard as do his supporters). Trump will have to take his own lumps.
R Mall
*note that if a The National Enquirer reporter read this article he would have all the authenticity necessary to report that “there are reports of a ‘Lewandowski / Fields affair.'” That is all they need to create a story.
