Corey Lewandowski, the controversial former campaign manager for Donald Trump, announced on Wednesday that he will not take a job in the next administration, and instead will launch a political consulting firm based in Washington.
The venture, Avenue Strategies, will sit steps away from the White House and provide consulting services with an eye on advancing Trump’s proposed agenda. Barry Bennett, a former Trump adviser, will form the business alongside Lewandowski.
The news followed reports that Lewandowski – who despite being fired from Trump’s campaign in June had remained in his inner circle – was presented with a range of potential posts in the next White House. Lewandowski met with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on Monday to discuss possible roles in the administration, according to Politico, but was not offered the job he sought of senior adviser to the president.
“I will always be President-elect Trump’s biggest supporter,” Lewandowski said in a statement on Wednesday announcing the firm. “After considering multiple opportunities within the administration, I informed him and his team I think I can best help him outside the formal structure of the government. I very much look forward to doing that every day.”
Lewandowski was a polarizing force while serving as Trump’s first campaign manager. He was charged in May with battery for grabbing the arm of reporter Michelle Fields and pulling her back as she tried to ask Trump a question. The incident was captured on camera, countering Lewandowski’s claims that he did not lay a hand on Fields, then a reporter for Breitbart News.
Lewandowski was subsequently hired as a contributor on CNN, a move that raised questions due to his proximity to Trump.
Although he had been ousted as campaign manager, Lewandowski continued to travel with Trump on occasion and attend his rallies. Lewandowski also remained on Trump’s payroll, which both the campaign and CNN characterized as severance payments but were dubbed as “strategy consulting” in official filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Lewandowski framed his strategy for Trump while on the campaign as letting “Trump be Trump”, which helped him curry favor with the real estate mogul and earn his trust. But Lewandowski’s relationship was more fraught with members of Trump’s family, particularly his children, and his behavior was described by insiders as volatile.
Lewandowski said his new firm will ensure that outside groups remain organized as Trump takes office on 20 January. Trump routinely campaigned on “draining the swamp”, which his team has said extends to traditional Washington consultants, even as the president-elect has filled his prospective cabinet with political insiders.
“My goal is to make sure the priorities of the Trump administration become reality,” Lewandowski said.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a longtime supporter of Trump and former surrogate, suggested on Wednesday that the president-elect “now just disclaims” his vow to drain the swamp.
“He now says it was cute, but he doesn’t want to use it any more,” Gingrich said in an interview with NPR.
Although Trump, as a candidate, called for reducing the influence of lobbyists and consultants in Washington, several of those poised to work in his administration are former lobbyists and top donors to his campaign.
