A new report from Breitbart News asserted Friday that Washington Post reporter Ben Terris misidentified Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, as the man who strong-armed a Breitbart reporter.
The Breitbart News report said the man in question was “likely not” Lewandowski, but rather a security guard.
The article refers to a photo from the Washington Post, which shows Lewandowski on Trump’s left while a security officer is on Trump’s right, to establish the scene.
Breitbart noted the two men resemble each other.
“Lewandowski was not the only ‘man with short-cropped hair and a suit’ walking near Trump,” the report said, referencing Terris’ account of the incident in the Post.
Breitbart also used screenshots of a video from WPTV, the West Palm Beach NBC affiliate, to chronicle the movements of Lewandowski, Trump, Fields and the security guard. The moment when Fields was allegedly pulled down was not recorded, the report noted.
“Given the similarity in appearance between Lewandowski and the security official, and given the fact that Lewandowski was walking on the other side of Trump from where Fields was at the time, the possibility of mistaken identity cannot be ruled out,” Breitbart’s Joel B. Pollak wrote. “Indeed, given Lewandowski’s adamant denials (coupled with statements inappropriately impugning Fields’s character), it is the likeliest explanation.”
The report also suggested bruises on Fields’ arm, which were visible in a photo she tweeted, may have been caused by “the chaos of the press scrum.”
Trump’s campaign put out a statement Friday linking to the Breitbart story.
“The accusation, which has only been made in the media and never addressed directly with the campaign, is entirely false. As one of the 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,” the statement read.
