Former Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields appeared on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” Sunday for her first interview since her battery charges against Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski were dropped last week.

Fields has been at the center of a media storm since she accused Lewandowski of forcefully grabbing her arm and nearly throwing her to the ground at a campaign event for the Republican presidential candidate in Jupiter, Fla., last month. But, she told CNN’s Brian Stelter, the controversy is less about the alleged manhandling itself than the Trump campaign’s dismissive response to her claim.

“The reason why it’s such a huge story is because Corey lied, Donald Trump lied, they defamed me,” said Fields, who resigned from Breitbart News after she said management at the conservative website failed to adequately support her in the wake of the alleged altercation. “They went on this huge smear campaign against me, and I think it sheds light on the character of the campaign.”

Trump publicly defended Lewandowski after Jupiter police charged him with simple battery last month, arguing that Fields was actually “grabbing at me” and that his campaign manager was “acting as an intermediary.”

On Twitter, Trump further attempted to put the blame on Fields, accusing the reporter of changing her story and claiming that she was inappropriately grabbing him and shouting questions after his Florida press conference had finished.



“Can I press charges?” Trump tweeted mockingly.

Asked about Palm Beach County District Attorney Dave Aronberg’s decision last week to not pursue the assault charges against Lewandowski, Fields suggested the prosecutor may have been motivated by personal ties to Trump.

“You look at the prosecutor’s wife’s social media, they are at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s resort, all of the time,” Fields said, noting that the website for Lynn Aronberg’s public relations firm prominently features photos of the prosecutor’s wife with Donald and Melania Trump. “I can’t speak for anyone else, but if I was a prosecutor and my wife was trying to monetize her relationship with Donald Trump and it’s right there on her website, and I’m partying all the time at Mar-a-Lago, I would recuse myself from the situation and the case.”

Meanwhile, Lewandowski praised Aronberg’s decision and declined to apologize to Fields during his own TV appearance Sunday.

“I’d be happy to have a conversation with her. But to apologize to someone I’ve never spoken to and, candidly, don’t ever remember having any interaction with is something that is a little unrealistic right now,” Lewandowski told Fox News’ Chris Wallace. “I’d be happy to have that conversation if we could put this thing behind us.”