Donald Trump’s campaign manager was seen on video grabbing a protester by the collar and yanking him backwards during a rally.
Corey Lewandowski has already faced criticism after a former Breitbart.com reporter, Michelle Fields, claimed he grabbed her by the arm after a press conference. Fields has filed a complaint with police in Florida over that incident.
The latest incident involving Lewandowski occurred Saturday during a rally in Tucson, Arizona. You can watch the video below:
Despite the video evidence, Donald Trump and his campaign spokeswoman have denied Lewandowski touched the protester, claiming it was another person. There is another man behind Lewandowski in the video, who also touches the protester, and the protester does react toward that man, not Lewandowski, but the video footage clearly shows Lewandowski with his hand on the collar of the protester.
Trump was asked why his campaign manager was out in the crowd dealing with protesters.
“Because the security at the arena, the police, were a little bit lax,” Trump told ABC. “And he had signs, they had signs up, that were horrendous.”
Trump said it was “somebody else” that touched the protester.
“I give him credit for having spirit, he wanted them to take down those horrible, profanity laced signs,” Trump said Sunday morning.
Hope Hicks, a campaign spokeswoman, also denied that Lewandowski grabbed the protester.
“Corey Lewandowski was speaking with a protester at today’s rally in Tucson, Arizona when the individual he was speaking with was pulled from behind by the man to Lewandowski’s left,” she told CNN. “The video clearly shows the protester reacting to the man who pulled him, not to Mr. Lewandowski.”
