This story has been updated.
A Florida state attorney won’t pursue the misdemeanor battery charge filed against Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, according to police documents released Thursday.
The charge stemmed from a physical run-in between Lewandowki and Michelle Fields, a former reporter for the conservative blog Breitbart.
Palm Beach County state attorney David Aronberg said in a press conference the whole uproar could’ve been avoided with a simple apology from Lewandowski.
“Had an apology been given at the beginning of this, we could’ve avoided the whole criminal justice process for this matter,” Aronberg said.
The prosecutor also said while he had seen a draft apology from Lewandowski, his attorneys have not released the draft.
But Lewandowski had reason to believe Fields “was making unwanted physical contact with Mr. Trump,” which caused him to intervene to maintain a “protective bubble” around the Republican frontrunner.
Witness accounts and surveillance video supported Fields’ claim that Lewandowski grabbed her arm to move her away from Trump after a press conference in Jupiter, Florida, according to the documents.
Based on an independent investigation by the state attorney’s office, Fields originally complied with directives for reporters to move to the back of the room, Aronberg said.
But Fields returned to walk alongside Trump in an attempt to ask a question when she “brushed or touched Mr. Trump’s arm,” at which point Lewandowski grabbed her arm.
The campaign manager repeatedly denied he ever had contact with Fields, smearing her as “delusional” and an “attention seeker.”
While the Jupiter Police Department had probable cause to issue a notice for Lewandowski to appear in court, Aronberg said there was not a “good faith basis” to move forward with state prosecution.
A statement from the Trump campaign said Lewandowski is “gratified by the decision to drop the misdemeanor charge.”
Read the documents here, via WSVN:
NOW: just got paper work explaining why @realDonaldTrump campaign manager @CLewandowski_ won’t be charged @wsvn pic.twitter.com/J8nHXSkioL
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) April 14, 2016
