Trump Campaign Denies Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski Grabbed Protester
The alleged incident happened in Tucson, Arizona.
— -- The Trump Campaign is pushing back against video that appears to show campaign manager Corey Lewandowski grabbing the collar of a protester during a rally in Tucson, Arizona Saturday night.
The video, first posted by CBS News and then by CNN with a clearer angle, shows a male protester yanked backwards while attempts were being made to eject him from the event. The protester, reacting to the grab, appears to begin to push the man to Lewandowski’s left. He was ultimately escorted out of the event.
The Trump campaign instead blamed the incident on a different man, who also appears to be yanking the collar of the protester simultaneously with Lewandowski.
"Corey Lewandowski was speaking with a protestor at today’s rally in Tucson, Arizona when the individual he was speaking with was pulled from behind by the man to Lewandowski’s left,” Trump Campaign Spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement.
"The video clearly shows the protestor reacting to the man who pulled him, not to Mr. Lewandowski. Mr. Trump does not condone violence at his rallies, which are private events paid for by the campaign."
The incident is the latest alleged altercation between Lewandowski and others during Trump campaign stops. Last week, the campaign strongly denied allegations that Lewandowski roughly “yanked” a female reporter’s arm, and questioned her credibility in a statement on social media.
Michelle Fields, a reporter with conservative outlet Breitbart News, said Lewandowski physically pulled her away from Trump at a news conference in Florida earlier this month.
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