PLEA DEAL: Former Trump campaign advisor dodges criminal charges
Former Trump campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski has made a deal with Las Vegas prosecutors – avoiding a misdemeanor battery charge related to a sexual harassment complaint. In 2021, the 49-year-old Republican operative allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward the wife of a major GOP donor at a Sin City charity event.
Attorneys for Lewandowski praised the deal — which allows their client to avoid any admission of guilt — saying in a statement:
“A misdemeanor case was filed but we are pleased to say that the matter has been resolved,” attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said. “The Court set conditions that Mr. Lewandowski will fulfill and the case will ultimately be dismissed.”
Trashelle Odom and her husband, a businessman and owner of HMH Construction in Meridian, Idaho, were among 24 of the Republican party’s top donors invited to an exclusive dinner at Benihana’s located inside the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Seated next to Trish was none other than the allegedly lecherous Lewandowski.
“On the evening of September 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, I attended a dinner to support a charity and spend time with wonderful friends,” Odom said in a statement to POLITICO. “He repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful,” she said, referring to Lewandowski.
According to CNN, at the time, Odom told POLITICO, which first reported both the allegations against Lewandowski and his deal with prosecutors, that Trump’s former senior campaign adviser “stalked” her during the event, made inappropriate physical contact, and spoke to her in sexually graphic terms.
The then-President quickly distanced himself from Lewandowski – replacing his one-time close advisor with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Taylor Budowich, director of communications for Trump’s Save America PAC, refrained from saying anything negative about his boss’ former insider, but asserted “He will no longer be associated with Trump World.”
Pam Bondi, the very talented and honorable frmr AG of FL, has our complete faith and confidence in taking over MAGA Action. Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service. He will no longer be associated with Trump World.
— Taylor Budowich (@TayFromCA) September 30, 2021
This is not the first time the ex-President’s sleazy former campaign manager slipped through justice’s fingers. In 2016, Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields accused Lewandowski of grabbing her arm at a press conference – something he denies, accusing the journalist of “exaggerating” the incident to “raise her own profile,” CNN reported.
“Well let me say this – that night, and this was never reported, but I called Michelle Fields,” he said. “Because I didn’t know what happened, honestly, and the interaction with Michelle Fields lasted the total of about three seconds of my entire life. I never met her before, and the only time I’ve ever interacted with her is on that videotape.”
Several months later, in June 2016, Trump fired Lewandowski – much to Fields’ delight. According to The Washington Post, Fields viewed Lewandowski as “a glorified event planner who fancied himself a tough guy but didn’t bring much to the table in the way of political expertise.”
“I don’t think Corey Lewandowski was very good at his job,” Fields said on CNN.
With multiple accusations of assaulting women, Lewandowski’s history puts him in the category of a “serial” predator. Gaslighting, denials, and escaping true legal accountability leave questions as to whether the former political commentator has indeed learned his lesson. 50 hours of community service, and eight hours of “impulse control counseling,” just don’t seem near enough to rehabilitate someone with an apparent willful disregard for the personal space of members of the opposite sex – even the ones who are married.
Original reporting by Gabby Orr at CNN Politics.
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