Florida prosecutors say Lewandowski might have been protecting Trump

Florida prosecutors said on Thursday that they were not charging Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's campaign manager, with simple battery because of the strength of possible defenses that Lewandowski could have presented, including that he was protecting his boss.

"Mr. Lewandowski has a reasonable hypothesis of innocence," Palm Beach State Attorney David Aronberg said at a news conference in Florida.


The state attorney said that while it's clear Lewandowski grabbed former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields against her will as she tried to ask Trump a question at a March news conference at Trump National Gold Club in Jupiter, Lewandowski may have been acting to defend Trump after Fields possibly brushed against or touched Trump's arm.

"It is unethical for us to files cases when we believe there is not a good faith basis to proceed," Aronberg said.

Trump's campaign said in a statement on Thursday afternoon, "Corey Lewandowski is gratified by the decision to drop the misdemeanor charge and appreciates the thoughtful consideration and professionalism by the Palm Beach State Attorney and his staff who carefully reviewed this matter, as well as Mr. Trump's loyalty and the support of his colleagues and family during this time. The matter is now concluded."

The state attorney said that after reviewing an affidavit by former FBI agent Barton Brown, they determined Lewandowski "may have had apparent authority to assist in the protection" of Trump as staff of presidential candidates sometimes do alongside trained Secret Service agents.

Initially, Trump, Lewandowski and his campaign questioned whether the incident even took place, saying Fields was seeking attention. They also questioned her character. Following the charges filed by police, Trump began test-driving what was likely a factor in the prosecutor’s decision to not pursue the case: Claiming that Fields touched him first.

That's apparently what is keeping the state attorney's office from pursuing the case.

"A person is justified in using non-deadly force against another when and to the extent that person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the others' imminent use of unlawful force," Florida law states.

Adrienne Ellis, chief assistant state attorney, said she did not interview the Secret Service or Lewandowski, speaking instead to his lawyers.

"It should be noted, however, that one agent was positioned directly behind Ms. Fields and appeared to show no concern over her actions. Mr. Lewandowski could have called in this agent's attention to her actions before taking action himself, if he considered her a threat," Ellis wrote in her report. "In addition, soon after the incident, Mr. Lewandowski publicly denied ever touching Ms. Fields in any way. While these factors might weigh against the claim that his actions were justified in defense of Mr. Trump, they do not outweigh the reasonable hypothesis of innocence (emphasis included) based on the real facts and circumstances recorded on the video."

Aronberg also noted that Trump himself reached out to the State Attorney's office a few weeks ago, telling them Fields touched him first and urging them to "do the right thing."

"The conversation we had with Mr. Trump had no bearings on our decision in this case," Aronberg said.

Fields has said she is considering pursuing a defamation suit against Lewandowski and Trump.