One thing you’ve no doubt picked up on over the last five or so years is that Donald Trump almost exclusively surrounds himself with scumbags, despite bold claims to the contrary. More than half a dozen of his advisers have been indicted on federal charges, and that doesn‘t even count people like Rudy Giuliani, who is under investigation for his Ukraine dealings; his son-in-law’s father who he pardoned for illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering; Jeffrey Epstein, who Trump previously palled around with and told New York was a “terrific guy” and “a lot of fun to be with”; and so many others.
One of those other people is Corey Lewandowski, who served as Trump’s original campaign manager before being fired in June 2016 after “a series of incidents that the Trump family worried had cast the candidate in a negative light,” presumably including forcibly grabbing a reporter by the arm and a protester by the collar, reportedly calling a coworker a “fucking bitch,” and screaming at a staffer for visiting his dying grandmother as her Last Rites were being administered. Like a moth to a flame, though, Trump couldn’t stay away and, according to The New York Times, just one month later was “reaching out to Mr. Lewandowski again, and he was soon back in the fold.” In the ensuing years, Lewandowski cemented his reputation as a thoroughly despicable human being, from mocking a migrant girl with Down syndrome who had been taken from her mother thanks to the administration’s family separation policy to, according to a police complaint, slapping a woman on the butt at a party at Trump’s D.C. hotel. (It’s unclear what became of that complaint.)
All of which was apparently fine and dandy with Trump and company, given that, until earlier this week Lewandowski was serving as the chairman of the MAGA Action PAC. On Wednesday, though, he was once again fired, this time for allegedly making unwanted sexual advances toward a Trump donor. Per the Politico:
According to a statement provided by an Odom family attorney to Politico, Lewandowski allegedly “remarked on the size of his genitalia, described his sexual performance and showed Odom his hotel room key.“ Attendees also said they saw him getting physical with her.
“Mrs. Odom stated that over the course of the dinner, Mr. Lewandowski tried to hold her hand, and she pushed his hand away. He touched her leg, and she moved it away. He grabbed her napkin off her lap and tried to touch her leg again, and she pulled her dress over her leg, to move his hand away and cover her skin,” Odom’s lawyer wrote in the statement. “He touched her back and she tried to get away,” the statement continued. “He described an area where he was sore from a workout, on the side of his butt, but he demonstrated this by touching her there—on the upper side of her rear end. Lewandowski tried to touch her approximately 10 times, and Mrs. Odom always rebuffed him.”
Odom then reportedly left the room but Lewandowski followed her, allegedly remarking that she had a “nice ass,” according to both the attorney’s statement and another attendee who heard the comment. The lawyer added that Lewandowski “threw his drink at Mrs. Odom, and it landed all over her shoe and the bottom of her dress,” and “called her stupid.” Lewandowski also allegedly boasted to Odom that he is “very powerful and can destroy anyone,” which sure sounds like something someone in Trump’s orbit would say.
Mr. Lewandowski has not commented on the allegations, and his lawyer, David Chesnoff, told the Times that “accusations and rumor appear to be morphing by the minute and we will not dignify them with a further response.” In a statement, Taylor Budowich, a spokesperson for Trump, said, “Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service. He will no longer be associated with Trump World.” He added that Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and Trump adviser will now oversee the PAC.
As for whether or not Lewandowski has actually been permanently banned from Trumpworld, the Times notes that it’s not at all certain, given how quickly he was brought back into the fold after being fired in 2016. Aides to the ex-president insist that this time is “different, particularly because it involves a donor to the former president.” On the other hand, Trump himself has been accused by more than two dozen women of equally vile behavior, so perhaps it’ll soon be water under the bridge. (Trump, of course, has denied everything.)
In other Lewandowski news, it appears that man has been busy. Per The Washington Post:
Lewandowski does not appear to have commented about the alleged affair. On Thursday, Noem announced that she would no longer be working with him following Odom’s sexual harassment claims. Lewandowski had become an adviser to Noem in recent months as she began laying the groundwork for a possible 2024 presidential run. “Corey was always a volunteer, never paid a dime (campaign or official),” Ian Fury, Noem’s communications director, said in a statement. “He will not be advising the governor in regard to the campaign or official office.”
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