Donald Trump Dismisses Reports That Top Aide Roughed Up Reporter: ‘She Made It Up’
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is not at all bothered by reports that Corey Lewandowski, his top aide, roughed up Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields.
“I didn’t see anything… but the Secret Service said nothing happened. They said absolutely nothing happened,” Trump told CNN after the GOP debate in Miami Thursday night. And then, rather than leave it at that, Trump accused the female reporter of simply lying about the entire incident, despite the fact that there is evidence that corroborates Fields’ account on audio, in photos, and through witness accounts.
“Perhaps she made the story up. I think that’s what happened.”
Trump repeated his belief that Fields was simply making up reports of the assault to several other reporters after Thursday’s debate. None of the debate moderators on CNN asked Trump about the alleged assault, which left Trump able to issue repeated denials afterward, when, as Huffington Post claims, “fewer people were paying attention.”
VIDEO: Trump to @DylanByers on @MichelleFields incident. “I think she made it up.” pic.twitter.com/VUB5LnbrTM
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) March 11, 2016
According to witnesses present at the alleged assault between Trump’s top aide Lewandowski against Fields, Lewandowski grabbed the reporter and shoved her after she asked Trump a question about affirmative action during a press conference Trump held in Jupiter, Florida.
“Mr. Trump, you went after the late Scalia for affirmative action, do you — are you still against affirmative action?” Fields asked, according to the audio of the exchanged obtained by Politico.
At that point, a voice allegedly belonging to Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s top aide, says, “Excuse me, thank you.”
Noises can be heard, and then, according to Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, Lewandowski assaulted Fields. Terris then tried to help Fields, who was crying. The entire exchange was captured on the audio.
“You OK?” Terris asked, and a shaken Fields replied with, “Holy s**t.”
The rest of the conversation between the two is telling.
Terris: “Yeah, he just threw you down.”
Fields: “I can’t believe he just did that; that was so hard. Was that Corey?”
Terris: “Yeah, like, what threat were you?”
Fields: “That was insane. You should have felt how hard he grabbed me. That’s insane. I’ve never had anyone do that to me from a campaign.”
Terris: “Can I put that in my story?”
Fields: “Yeah, go for it — that was really awful. That’s so unprofessional.”
Terris: “He really just almost threw you down on the ground.”
Fields: “He literally went like this and was grabbing me down. I don’t even want to do what he just did to me. Oh my God, that really spooked me that someone would do that.”
Terris: “What threat were you?”
Fields: “Nothing. I was asking about affirmative action.”
Terris: “And he probably knows you, right?”
Fields: “Yeah, I don’t understand. That looks horrible. You’re going after a Breitbart reporter, the people who are nicest to you?”
Terris: “I know, I’m going to put it in my story.”
Terris did write his story for the Washington Post, detailing what he witnessed of the attack, and on Thursday Fields tweeted a photograph of the bruise on her arm.
I guess these just magically appeared on me @CLewandowski_ @realDonaldTrump. So weird. pic.twitter.com/oD8c4D7tw3
— Michelle Fields (@MichelleFields) March 10, 2016
The Trump campaign, however, continued to deny the assault and issued a statement flatly calling Fields a liar, saying that her account of the assault was “entirely false.” Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks dismissed Fields, saying that “our staff would never do anything to harm another individual.”
However, Trump events have become increasingly violent — something that Trump doesn’t curb and, in fact, seems to at times incite. He told his supporters that he would like to “punch [a protester] in the face,” and he has offered to pay the legal bills of any supporter who assaults a protester.
[Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images News]
