For the record, Trump spoke glowingly about his ex-aide at various times during the campaign — most notably when Lewandowski was charged with simple battery after grabbing a female reporter by the arm — and, as far as I can tell, never called him "my Corey." Maybe Trump saved this "term of endearment" for tender moments behind the scenes, but we can safely say it is not part of his regular public speaking pattern.

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Even if it were, "my Corey" and "my African American" are not the same thing. Obviously. Ownership of African Americans is part of this country's history. Ownership of people named Corey? Not so much.

Let's note that the man Trump referred to, a Republican congressional candidate named Gregory Cheadle, told NPR that he was not offended by Trump's choice of words. Cheadle also said he is not a Trump supporter but attended the rally because he has an "open mind." He added that he was holding a "veterans for Trump" sign to shield his eyes from the sun, likely contributing to the candidate's assumption that he is a backer.

Anyway, it is certainly possible that Trump meant no harm. But even as Cheadle said he sensed no malice, he added that it is easy to understand why "my African American" would confuse or bother some people.

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"Had he said, 'Here's my African American friend' or 'my African American supporter' or something like that, then there would be less ambiguity," Cheadle told NPR.

Lewandowski, though he no longer works for Trump, seems incapable of offering such a nuanced take. He could, like Cheadle, have defended the remark as innocent while acknowledging the poor phrasing. But he didn't.

Instead, Lewandowski continues to present a skewed, one-sided version of reality. Moments before presenting his "my Corey" defense, he told viewers this: "If you look at the election results and where the polls stand right now, Donald Trump is doing better with Hispanics. He said he's going to win Hispanics."

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CNN's Poppy Harlow, filling in for Alisyn Camerota, was incredulous.

"What poll are you talking about, Corey?"

Lewandowski then referred to a Quinnipiac poll published June 29 that showed Hillary Clinton leading Trump among Hispanic voters, 50 percent to 33 percent.

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"If you look at what Mitt Romney received or what John McCain received, he's way, way above what they were," Lewandowski said.

So Lewandowski wasn't lying when he said "Donald Trump is doing better with Hispanics"; he was just talking about Trump's standing, relative to the last two GOP nominees, not his current opponent. How did you not know that, Poppy Harlow? And even though it is virtually inconceivable that Trump could win the Hispanic vote in the general election, it is true that the candidate said he will. And Lewandowski's job is to repeat what Trump says.