Donald Trump Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski Appears To Grab Protester At Rally

Video taken at a Donald Trump rally in Tucson on Saturday appears to show the GOP front-runner’s campaign manager grabbing the collar of a protester, just 11 days after the Trump aide was accused of assaulting a reporter.

CBS News reporter Jacqueline Alemany identified the man as Corey Lewandowski in the video she posted from the rally in the Tucson Convention Center. The video shows the protester in a heated conversation with Lewandowski and another man wearing black, and then a hand grabs the young man by the collar, pulling him back.

Here is Donald Trump's campaign manager in the Tucson crowd grabbing the collar of a protester. pic.twitter.com/JZ9RntWlHY

— Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) March 19, 2016

The Trump campaign claimed that it was not Lewandowski, but rather a person to his left, who grabbed the unidentified man’s collar.

"The video clearly shows the protester reacting to the man who pulled him, not to Mr. Lewandowski," a statement read.

"Mr. Trump does not condone violence at his rallies," campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks said.

Statement from Trump campaign RE video of campaign manager grabbing protestors collar. pic.twitter.com/jzqK5ZwQFk

— Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) March 20, 2016

While there are some people obstructing a clear view of the incident, the video shows that the coat worn by the arm that grabbed the protester is similar in color to Lewandowski’s coat.

 

The incident adds to the controversy around Lewandowski and the Trump campaign.

Earlier this month, former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields accused Lewandowski of assaulting her at a news conference in Florida. Since the incident, Fields has resigned from Breitbart and filed a police report against Lewandowski. No charges have been filed.

Lewandowski and the Trump campaign have denied the allegations, and Trump has stood by his campaign manager. Lewandowski called Fields "totally delusional," and Trump said that she "made the story up."

Lewandowski has a history of controversial behavior, including being rough with reporters and sexually inappropriate with female journalists, as POLITICO's Ken Vogel reported this week. While working for Americans For Prosperity in 2013, Lewandowski reportedly castigated a female employee, calling her a "c---" in front of her colleagues. An unnamed reporter told Vogel that Lewandowski has made sexual comments to and about female journalists that she described as "completely inappropriate."

At the same event in Tucson on Saturday, a protester was punched and kicked by a Trump supporter while being escorted out of the rally, adding to the long list of violent incidents at Trump campaign events.

Editor's note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims -- 1.6 billion members of an entire religion -- from entering the U.S.

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