This post has been updated.
Local Florida police charged Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski with misdemeanor battery Tuesday after a former reporter for Breitbart accused him of manhandling her.
Michelle Fields filed a police report with Jupiter, Florida police on March 11 alleging that Lewandowski forcefully grabbed her by the arm, nearly pulling her to the ground, after a campaign press conference.
Lewandowski turned himself over to police just after 8 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the arrest report. He has a mandatory court appearance scheduled for May 4 at 8:30 a.m.
Police obtained video that appears to definitively show the campaign manager grabbing Fields’ arm on March 12 from Trump’s security at the Trump National Golf Club, where the campaign hosted the press conference, the report also said.
Trump’s campaign said Lewandowski would plead not guilty and is “absolutely innocent of this charge” in a statement provided to Politico.
“He is completely confident that he will be exonerated,” the statement said.
Fields later retweeted a Trump tweet urging people to dig deeper into her allegations with the remark “seriously, just stop lying.”
Fields and multiple other staffers resigned their posts at the conservative news site following the incident, saying Breitbart leaders were more concerned with appeasing the Trump campaign than supporting their employee.
After Fields tweeted a photo of finger-shaped bruises on her arm, Lewandowski responded by smearing Fields as “delusional” and an an “attention seeker.”
Police provided video which appears to provide the clearest evidence yet that Lewandowski grabbed Fields:
Read the police report below (TPM has redacted personal information):
More of this, please. Trump surrounds himself with bully-boys, and his supporters follow suit. Round up the usual suspects.
If he doesn’t confess, waterboard him. And then “go stronger” than waterboarding because fuck that guy.
Corey:
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons. For you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Good. These psychopaths need to know that there are consequences for their actions.
Trump will give him a raise for exhibiting leadership.