President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski announced Thursday that he will leave the lobbying and consulting firm he co-founded, amid accusations that he offered international clients access to President Donald Trump and key members of his administration.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Lewandowski said he is concerned he has lost control over Avenue Strategies, which he co-founded with former Trump campaign adviser Barry Bennett after the 2016 election.
“The most important thing is my reputation, and I’ve worked really hard in the face of adversity to try to be successful,” he said, as quoted in the report.
Politico in April reported that Lewandowski launched Washington East West Political Strategies, a consulting firm offering clients access to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Bennett said at the time that he had not seen a document from the firm promising to secure clients “meetings with well-established figures” and “key members of the U.S. Administration.” He told Politico that the firm was focused on policy consultation rather than lobbying.
Lewandowski told Bloomberg on Thursday that he has “never heard of” that firm. He also accused Bennett and other members of the firm of using his name without permission.
“I’ve never seen anything they put out,” he said. “I don’t know who these individuals are and if people are selling my name on things I want to be a part of it. I want to understand what that is.”
Bennett told Bloomberg that he plans to keep the firm open under the Avenue Strategies name, and blamed Lewandowski for drawing scrutiny.
“No matter how much work we do it’s always going to be Lewandowski in the headline,” Bennett said, as quoted in the report.
