Closing summary
CNN’s Republican town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ended after three hours of questions for three candidates.
Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s politicking, in Milwaukee and elsewhere:
- Donald Trump defended his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who was charged with battery after appearing to grab a former Breitbart News reporter at a Florida rally.
- Despite pledges signed earlier this campaign season, all three candidates appeared at-best noncommittal as to whether they would support the eventual Republican nominee.
- Trump, the party’s frontrunner, appeared to struggle on foreign and domestic policy issues, calling NATO “obsolete,” and saying the federal government’s top three priorities should be “security, security, security”. And also education and healthcare.
- And as tension built before a Trump rally in Janesville, Wisconsin, a 15-year-old Anti-Trump protester was pepper sprayed by a supporter, after she appeared to throw a punch.
- Away from CNN’s town hall, Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have accepted each others’ challenge to a debate. Sanders saying: “Let’s do it,” about a possible debate in Brooklyn before the New York primary.
You can read our latest round-up from the town hall here:
Updated
CNN’s Republican town hall has ended, and Donald Trump has taken the opportunity to criticize one of the station’s contributors. Here’s a little more from The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs).
Immediately after the CNN town hall ended, Donald Trump took to Twitter to assail new CNN contributor David Gregory.
.@DavidGregory got thrown off of TV by NBC, fired like a dog! Now he is on @CNN being nasty to me. Not nice!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2016
The problem is Trump doesn’t seem to be such a big fan of Gregory’s successor, whom he has repeatedly referred to as “sleepy eyed.”
Word is that @NBCNews is firing sleepy eyes Chuck Todd in that his ratings on Meet the Press are setting record lows. He's a real loser!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2015
However, Trump does seem to like the late Tim Russert, Gregory’s predecessor.
"Sleepy" Chuck Todd of NBC falls far short of the late great Tim Russert.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 28, 2011
However, it was in a 1999 interview with Russert that Trump referred to himself as “pro-choice in every respect” and talked about New York being different from the rest of the country. Both statements have since become fodder for his opponents.
Asked about passing new restrictions on abortion, John Kasich says, “When it comes to my pro-life record it speaks to itself.”
Kasich asked about creating a "protected class" for the unborn, injects a bit of his religious views re life after death.
— Cathleen Decker (@cathleendecker) March 30, 2016
“Life begins then it ends at death then we have another life to come,” says Kasich.
About that pro-life record – Kasich is not underselling it. Here’s an excerpt from a February report on that record:
Under Governor Kasich, Ohio has passed 17 restrictions on women’s health, closing nearly half the abortion providers in the state,” Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, said ... after the Ohio legislature sent the latest bill to Kasich.
Anderson Cooper continues to ask each candidate whether they would they support the eventual GOP nominee.
Ted Cruz said he would win. Donald Trump said he wouldn’t support the nominee, and didn’t need Cruz’s help.
John Kasich says he’s been “disturbed by some of the things I’ve seen,” and doesn’t quite commit.
I have to think about what my word and endorsement would mean... I got to see what happens.”
Updated
An audience member at CNN’s Republican town hall asks John Kasich: Should we patrol Muslim neighborhoods? (As a reminder, this was proposed by Ted Cruz.)
Kasich says no, but, “Destroy ISIS that’s a given... after that great intelligence.”
“The vast, vast, vast majority [of Muslims] … think their religion has been hijacked... Let’s work together as a community of civilized people.”
a CNN Republican town hall with Anderson Cooper in Milwaukee. Photograph: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Ohio governor John Kasich begins his time on CNN’s Republican town hall by telling Anderson Cooper he is the best nominee, despite winning only his home state.
Kasich: "For most of the debates I was essentially ignored." True based on talking time.
— Matthew Dickinson (@MattDickinson44) March 30, 2016
Trump doubles back on promise to support Republican nominee
Donald Trump says that he won’t support the Republican nominee (if it’s not him), reversing on a promise he made earlier this campaign season.
Trump walks away from pledge his signed with RNC: "No, I don’t anymore” support the pledge. #GOPTownHall
— David Chalian (@DavidChalian) March 30, 2016
Even if he doesn’t secure the nomination though, most pundits believe he would have serious obstacles ahead of him if he tries to mount a third-party run.
He doesn't have the money and he won't have the time to run independent anyway. https://t.co/2qzSaqQBwj
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) March 30, 2016
Here’s a little reminder of those obstacles from The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs).
By the time the GOP’s convention opens on 18 July, it will be too late for him to file to run as a third-party candidate in 11 states; 14 other states have deadlines a mere two weeks after the convention. All have signature requirements as well, many of which are difficult to meet; they range from a mere 800 names required in New Jersey to more than 178,000 in California.
As the CNN Republican town hall briefly breaks, The Guardian’s Oliver Laughland (@oliverlaughland) sends a dispatch from Janesville, Wisconsin, where Trump had a rally earlier this afternoon.
Trump supporters began arriving at the Janesville Town Hall event from 7.30 am on Tuesday. By the time the doors opened, at eight hours later the line snaked all the way around the complex. Police said around 4,000 people were unable to enter after the venue reached capacity.
Hundreds of protesters picketed outside, and a 15 year-old was pepper sprayed by a Trump supporter, according to Janesville Police, after punching him during a heated argument...
The Guardian had been made aware of a number of protesters attempting to get inside the venue and disrupt Trump’s speech.
One protester, 67 year-old Mary Sanderson a medical interpreter from Madison, Wisconsin, made it into the venue but elected not to unfurl her fabric banner that had been carefully stuffed up her bra.
“I couldn’t find the right moment of hate,” she told the Guardian.
An audience member asks Donald Trump what the top three functions of the federal government are:
“Security, security, security,” is his answer. Also “health and education.”
Trump then clarifies that healthcare should be private, and education should be run by the states.
Donald Trump is defending his retweet of an unflattering picture of Senator Ted Cruz’s wife Heidi:
I didn’t start it.”
Trump addresses battery charges against campaign manager
At the top of the CNN town hall, Trump addresses the battery charges against his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski , saying that former Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields was “grabbing me.”
Everybody dumps people when there’s a sign of political incorrectness...
She was grabbing me – am I supposed to press charges?” Trump says. “I don’t know maybe I should right?”
So....https://t.co/Uc7WbgoAoM
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) March 30, 2016
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is set to appear next on CNN’s Republican town hall. Expect his questions about his campaign manager Corey Lewindowski’s battery charge to be front and center.
In response to America’s heroin epidemic, Senator Ted Cruz says the first step is to “secure the border,” and stop the, “deluge of drugs coming into this country”. Then, he tells a story about his half-sister Miriam.
It actually started where she was in a car accident, and she got prescribed pain killers... Miriam led a difficult and troubled life.”
Anderson Cooper asks Cruz – will you support Trump if he is the Republican nominee?
“Donald is not going to be the GOP nominee.”
Does that mean you wouldn’t support him?
“I gave you my answer – listen I think nominating Donald Trump would be an absolute train wreck.”
Outside of CNN’s Republican town hall, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has accepted frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s invitation to debate in Brooklyn before the New York primary.
“Let’s do it,” Sanders said on CNN.
Bernie Sanders on Hillary Clinton: "I would hope that we would have a good debate" https://t.co/HzUkK8k85I https://t.co/Rcj5ZXbI1R
— CNN (@CNN) March 29, 2016
Senator Ted Cruz gives Anderson Cooper some specifics about what he means when he says he would “carpet bomb” ISIS, specifically saying he would take out the terror group’s infrastructure.
Cruz gives one of the most detailed answers I've seen from him on what specifically he would "carpet bomb" -- infrastructure, oil fields.
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) March 30, 2016
“Overwhelming air power is the first step,” the senator says. Anything else is “photo-op foreign policy”.
Updated
Cruz already re-upped the Muslim “no-go area” myth, this time saying such neighborhoods exist in Brussels (the recent target of terror attacks).
Cruz describes such areas as, “incubator[s] for radical islamic terrorism.”
The media and the Democrats hate it when someone actually describes what the enemy is.”
Trump campaign manager questions lead CNN town hall
And the first question is about Donald Trump’s campaign manager.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz tells CNN’s Anderson Cooper that “attacks and insults” have no place in a campaign, nor does “physical violence.”
Cruz and other candidates have criticized Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski for grabbing a former Breitbart News reporter’s arm at a campaign rally. Cruz and other candidates have said Lewandowski’s actions are emblematic of the culture in Trump’s campaign.
CNN is now beginning its Republican town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Riverside Theatre.
As a reminder, CNN’s Anderson Cooper will ask each candidate pre-selected questions from the audience. The town hall begins with Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
We’re about 20 minutes out from the CNN’s Republican town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and already hundreds of anti-Trump protesters have flooded streets.
Protesters arrive outside #GOPTownHall in Milwaukee pic.twitter.com/YX7QknaxgW
— Noah Gray CNN (@NoahGrayCNN) March 29, 2016
Talk of Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski’s actions, before misdemeanor battery charges were filed, has been circulating for weeks.
The Guardian’s Lucia Graves (@lucia_graves) considers why the allegations didn’t come out sooner.
Take the case of Michelle Fields, who had almost every conceivable advantage in telling her story.
Consider all she had going for her. She’s a well-heeled professional who had a job at a major conservative outlet and a large social media following. She’s connected in the conservative media world Trump relies on. She had a Washington Post reporter standing six inches behind her to document every aspect of the altercation, which happened in the middle of a press gaggle, leaving ample video footage available of the incident.
And then consider what happened to her for telling her story on the record. She felt the need to resign from Breitbart News. She lost her contributorship at Fox News – a rare and valuable perch – because she could no longer be “impartial” about Trump, according to the show’s host, noted Trump fan Eric Bolling. Her reputation was smeared by the very man who assaulted her, who called her “delusional” while his candidate suggested “she made it up”. Consider that days later, Trump would put her aggressor on stage after a series of primary wins and praise him by name. “Good job, Corey,” he said.
Misdemeanor battery charges against Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has brought criticism from nearly all sides.
The Guardian’s David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) files this dispatch from Hillary Clinton campaign in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Hillary Clinton said reporter Michelle Fields “deserves a lot of credit” for bringing a battery charge against Donald Trump’s campaign manager and argued that the Republican frontrunner himself should be held responsible.
Speaking to reporters after a tour of the Pearl Street Brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Clinton was asked about the case involving Corey Lewandowski and the Breitbart News journalist.
“I think that every candidate has to be responsible for what happens in their campaign and, as I’ve said repeatedly, what Donald Trump has been doing these last months is inciting violent behavior and aggressive behavior that I think is very dangerous and has resulted in attacks on people at his events and this charge that was brought against his campaign manager,” she said. “I’m not going to comment on a pending legal or criminal case but I think that ultimately the responsibility is Mr Trump’s.”
Trump is now criticizing Michelle Fields, a former Breitbart reporter his campaign manager allegedly grabbed, at a pre-town hall rally in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Trump is mocking Fields inside his Janesville rally right now. Reading her allegation in a dramatic voice.
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) March 29, 2016
If somebody squeezed your arm or hurt you wouldn’t you start screaming or something?
...
“All of a sudden she bolts into the picture, she grabs me, or hits me on the arm… Maybe [Corey Lewandowski] touched her a little bit, but it was almost like he was trying to keep her off me.”
leading Breitbart... pic.twitter.com/gRLfSV2Qj6
— Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) March 29, 2016
Trump is now discussing his version of conservatism at a pre-town hall rally in Janesville, Wisconsin – Republican House speaker Paul Ryan’s hometown – where the frontrunner has the crowd booing the Speaker’s name.
I really want to win Wisconsin, because if I can win Wisconsin we can put all the stupidity away.”
As Donald Trump’s rally begins in Janesville, Wisconsin, ahead of a CNN Republican town hall tonight, it appears an anti-Trump protester was pepper sprayed.
Here’s a video of the incident via Molly Beck, with the Wisconsin State Journal.
Here's a video (and prev photo) taken by @derek94gt of the punch/pepper spray incident at the Janesville Trump rally pic.twitter.com/iVCHvsISDi
— Molly Beck (@MollyBeck) March 29, 2016
The Battle for Brooklyn begins!
.@HillaryClinton tells pool reporters in LaCrosse she'd be open to debating @BernieSanders in Brooklyn, home to her HQ & his childhood home.
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) March 29, 2016
The New York Democrats primary on April 19 is personal -- Bernie Sanders grew up in Brooklyn and Hillary Clinton spent two terms as a New York Senator and based her campaign in Brooklyn.
“Competitive presidential primary fights in New York are as rare as spacious and affordable apartments on the Upper West Side — there hasn’t been one in decades,” writes Politico.
Sanders created an online petition to call on Clinton to debate him before the New York Primary.
It reads:
One of the next big battlegrounds in the Democratic nomination is New York State’s primary on April 19. Our campaign has repeatedly asked Hillary Clinton to debate in New York before the primary, but they haven’t agreed to it. We’re not sure why.
Today the Vermont Senator announced he’d be hosting a rally in the Bronx on Thursday with Puerto Rican rapper Residente, founder of Calle 13. Clinton is kicking off tomorrow with an event at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem.
Hillary Clinton promised to continue to fight for tougher gun control on Tuesday during a campaign event that paid tribute to the victims of gun violence and police brutality.
“The epidemic of gun violence spares no one, but it is concentrated in areas that are short on hope,” Clinton said on Tuesday during a panel discussion on gun violence at Tabernacle Community Baptist church in Milwaukee.
Clinton has made gun control a pillar of her campaign. She has called for strengthening background checks and closing a number of loopholes that enable unmonitored gun sales, while promising to take on the National Rifle Association – a lobby group, she reminds voters, that holds near-supreme power in some parts of Washington.
“This needs to be a voting issue,” Clinton said of the fight to tighten gun laws. “Not number 20 on the list, number one on the list.”
Read the rest of Lauren’s story here.
Donald Trump continues to attack reporter Michelle Fields, who accused his campaign manager of assault on March 8 and police laid charges of battery against him today.
Why is this reporter touching me as I leave news conference? What is in her hand?? pic.twitter.com/HQB8dl0fhn
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016
Since Fields is a reporter and attempting to follow a presidential candidate and ask him questions with a phone in one hand, we might hazard a guess that it’s a pen in her other one.
Edit: this post originally included another tweet that was posted by a fake Donald Trump account, it has now been removed.
Updated
Stay tuned for The O’Reilly Factor this evening.
Lewandowski will be on O’Reilly Factor tonight.
— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) March 29, 2016
Ben Shapiro, the former editor-at-large of Breitbart, who resigned in protest at the publication’s lack of support of former reporter Michelle Fields, spoke MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts about the charges laid today.
“Her story has been absolutely consistent from the beginning. Corey Lewandowski grabbed her by the arm, he yanked her hard enough to bruise her. She lost her balance for a second, she regained it,” he said.
He added: “It’s amazing how the campaign tone has shifted on this. It went from she was never even touched by Corey Lewandowski, she’s essentially an attention seeker, to, well, he didn’t grab her that hard and if she was really that bad why doesn’t she file a police report. So, she files a police report. And now it’s, well, they’re out to get him.”
Updated
Trump’s campaign is getting the whole team out in support of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
One of Trump’s Secret Service guards told The Daily Mail that reporter Michelle Fields had been warned by SS agents to stop touching Donald Trump.
But speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of Trump’s Secret Service detail told DailyMail.com on Tuesday that Fields touched Trump twice – and was warned by agents to stop – before Lewandowski pulled her away.
‘She crossed in between agents and our protectee after being told not to,’ said the agent, who was present that night in Jupiter.
New poll finds growing support for Muslim ban
A poll from YouGov released yesterday has found growing support for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” after the terrorist attacks in Brussels. The question wording deliberately echoed comments made by Republican candidate Donald Trump in December last year. When YouGov first asked a panel of 995 Americans about the ban on Muslims (immediately after Trump made the comments), the survey company found that 45% of respondents were in agreement. When YouGov asked again in March, they found that the percentage who support the ban had risen to 51%.
The most recent survey was conducted on March 24 and 25, days after the attacks in Belgium’s capital and following calls by Ted Cruz and Donald Trump to “patrol” Muslim neighborhoods. The poll also asked about surveillance of Muslims and found strong party differences in attitudes.
Overall, 74% of Republicans agreed with the statement made by Cruz “we need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized”. When presented with the same quote, only 43% of independents and 29% of Democrats agreed. Respondents who identified as Democrats were also more likely to say that it was a better strategy to “work with” Muslim communities rather than “intense surveillance”.
Now Donald Trump is questioning if he is allowed to press charges against the reporter who pressed charges against his campaign manager for assault at a rally.
Victory press conference was over.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016
Why is she allowed to grab me and shout questions? Can I press charges? pic.twitter.com/qbW2RjkINX
Just in case you thought this entire presidential campaign couldn’t get any more ridiculous, now we have a possible stripper-biting lawyer.
It seems Kendall Coffey, one of Corey Lewandowski’s attorneys, is a former federal prosecutor who resigned the post in 1996 after he allegedly bit a stripper in an altercation at a topless nightclub.
Coffey is currently the Chair of the Southern District Conference, Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission, according to his website. He also was involved with the 2000 presidential recount case and the high-profile custody battle over Elian Gonzalez.
But before all that, while working as a US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 1996, he resigned after rumors emerged that he’d bitten a stripper.
As the Sun Sentinel reported at the time of his resignation:
The husband of the dancer said he was ‘”shocked” that Coffey resigned. “I want to see him reinstated,” said the husband, who asked that he and his wife not be identified by name.
“It wasn’t necessary,’’ the dancer said. “It is not what we wanted.’’
The husband and wife declined to discuss the alleged incident other than to say that Coffey paid $900 for a bottle of champagne and bit the dancer on the arm during a dispute in the club.
“He bit her, but not like a crazy man,’’ the husband said. “But he did break the skin.’’
Ted Cruz spoke to reporters about Donald Trump’s campaign manager getting charged for simple assault today.
.@tedcruz calls Lewandowski charges "the consequence of the culture of the Trump campaign." https://t.co/QJrVg65DNFhttps://t.co/WxS44W7mbr
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 29, 2016
“This is the consequence of the culture of the Trump campaign, the abusive culture,” said Cruz. “When you have a campaign that is built on personal insults, on attacks and now physical violence - that has no place in a political campaign and it has no place in our democracy.”
Cult film director David Lynch - of Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive fame - just endorsed the Senator from Vermont.
Dear Twtter Friends,
— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) March 29, 2016
YAY! BERNIE SANDERS FOR PRESIDENT!!!
British TV host import Piers Morgan offered up his take on the Corey Lewandowski battery charges.
If a male reporter tried to claim this was 'battery', he'd be rightly mocked.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 29, 2016
Toughen up, @MichelleFields. https://t.co/JuysRTwRTJ
Last week Marlow Stern at The Daily Beast chronicled the close relationship between the billionaire wannabe politician and the former tabloid editor, in light of an interview Morgan did with Trump for British TV recently:
Morgan won the first iteration of The Celebrity Apprentice back in 2008, and since then, has regularly corresponded with Trump, whom he calls “an extraordinary man” and “incredibly loyal friend.” He even claims to have kept a diary of all their exchanges, and gushed over the sycophantic notes the real estate tycoon regularly sends him in a September column for The Daily Mail. And it’s here, as editor-at-large for The Daily Mail, that Morgan has become an unofficial publicist for candidate Trump, publishing column after column praising his pal.
Back in August, after Trump questioned Vietnam POW John McCain’s “war hero” status—and was taken to task by debate moderator Megyn Kelly for his past sexist comments—Morgan defended Trump with a column headlined, “Yes, Donald Trump can be vicious, arrogant, obnoxious and even a little bit evil—which is exactly why a lot of people think he will make a bloody good President.” Trump’s SNL performance in November even had Morgan “howling in fits of laughter.” But the pièce de résistance came yesterday, when Morgan published a column in the wake of the Brussels terrorist attacks titled, “When it comes to terror, isn’t it time we started listening seriously to Trump?”
So perhaps it’s no surprise that Morgan is coming out in support of his buddy’s campaign manager.
Updated
Last week Corey Lewandowski spoke with Independent Journal Review about the alleged assault against reporter Michelle Fields, where he denied ever touching Fields.
In light of Lewandowski being charged today, they just published the full interview:
Do you still stand by your statement that you never touched Michelle Fields?
I stand by all my statements.
What you tweeted. That you never met her, never touched her?
Yes. I stand by all my statements.
You can listen to the audio of the interview here.
Michelle Fields, the journalist who filed a police report alleging that Corey Lewandowski assaulted her, tweeted her anger at Trump backing his campaign manager.
Because my story never changed. Seriously, just stop lying. https://t.co/1fz9cBHOuT
— Michelle Fields (@MichelleFields) March 29, 2016
Trump campaign backs Lewandowski
Donald Trump spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson, just spoke to Wolf Blitzer on CNN about Corey Lewandowski being charged by police for battery.
“We actually have total confidence in our campaign manager, we feel he is going to be exonerated,” she said, saying he would not be losing his job on the campaign.
Pierson played down the incident - where a female reporter alleges Lewandowski grabbed her arm violently - as just standard behavior in the media scrum.
“This is not different to when I’m in the middle of the scrum and get smacked by the television networks,” said Pierson, noting saying she wouldn’t sue the TV networks if a cameraman gave her a small cut.
“These types of things are not uncommon, to be jostled or moved or hit, from a campaign or a media person.... this is absurd, this is ridiculous, and it will be beat,” she said.
She also warned that journalists couldn’t get too close to candidates because of their Secret Service protection and perhaps there needed to be tighter restrictions on journalist access.
“There is some jostling around and pushing and the second you cross that Secret Service threshold, you will be moved away from the candidate,” she said.
Pierson denied that Lewandowski knew who the reporter was. “How’s he supposed to know who every single writer is? It’s ridiculous to assume... of course these things kind of happen in the scrum,” she said.
Pierson also questioned reporter Michelle Fields statements about the incident, saying that initially the reporter said she was nearly thrown to the ground, and Pierson said the video does not reflect that. The Trump spokeswoman also questioned the motives of the alleged victim.
“She didn’t contact the campaign. She didn’t contact the authorities. She didn’t contact anyone rather than Twitter when the alleged incident occurred,” said Pierson.
“Mr Lewandowski is an integral part of this campaign and the whole team supports him,” she said.
Updated
Another tweet from Trump about the charges against Corey Lewandowski, his campaign manager.
Why aren't people looking at this reporters earliest statement as to what happened, that is before she found out the episode was on tape?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016
So what were those earliest statements? Field’s boyfriend, fellow reporter Jamie Weinstein, was the first to speak publicly about the alleged assault.
Trump always surrounds himself w thugs. Tonight thug Corey Lewandowski tried to pull my gf @MichelleFields to ground when she asked tough q
— Jamie Weinstein (@Jamie_Weinstein) March 9, 2016
Two days after the incident, Michelle Fields wrote her account of it in a post on Brietbart (she later resigned from the conservative publication for failing to support her over it):
Trump acknowledged the question, but before he could answer I was jolted backwards. Someone had grabbed me tightly by the arm and yanked me down. I almost fell to the ground, but was able to maintain my balance. Nonetheless, I was shaken.
Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, who said he witnessed the incident, wrote about it shortly afterwards as well:
I watched as a man with short-cropped hair and a suit grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way. He was Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s 41-year-old campaign manager.
Fields stumbled. Finger-shaped bruises formed on her arm.
“I’m just a little spooked,” she said, a tear streaming down her face. “No one has grabbed me like that before.”
She took my arm and squeezed it hard. “I don’t even want to do it as hard as he did,” she said, “because it would hurt.”
Donald Trump just tweeted his support of his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, after he was charged by police in Florida today following allegations he assaulted a female reporter during a Trump rally on March 8.
Wow, Corey Lewandowski, my campaign manager and a very decent man, was just charged with assaulting a reporter. Look at tapes-nothing there!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016
This video was released by Jupiter Police today, after Lewandowski was charged with battery.
The Daily Beast previously published C-Span footage of the incident from a different angle.
A missive from David Smith in Milwaukee where Hillary Clinton is trying to fight off the growing influence of Bernie Sanders.
Hillary Clinton set about heading off the Bernie Sanders surge by campaigning in Wisconsin, where next week’s Democratic primary has taken on renewed significance.
Speaking to a nearly-but-not-quite full gym in Milwaukee on Monday night, the frontrunner got two for the price of one by knocking both Sanders and Republican rival Donald Trump in a single argument.
“Here’s the big difference between me and my opponent, Senator Sanders,” Clinton said. “He says, very sincerely, he wants free college for everybody. Here’s the problem. I don’t believe we should be asking you to pay taxes to send Donald Trump’s kid to college for free. I think if you are wealthy you should pay for college yourself and we should focus on middle class working families.”
The crowd erupted in applause, as it did on many occasions, along with cheers and the odd cry of “We love you, Hillary!”
Clinton has been seeking to pivot to the general election in recent weeks, but Sanders’ resounding victories in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington force her to watch her back. She criticised the Vermont senator over his record on gun control, saying: “He voted to give gun makers and gun sellers absolute immunity.”
But the former first lady did not let the Republicans off the hook, condemning Wisconsin governor Scott Walker’s education and health cuts. “I thought you were in public life to actually make the lives of the people you serve better, not worse.”
Turning to national security, she noted: “You’ve got Donald Trump saying we shouldn’t let Muslims into America. You’ve got Ted Cruz saying we should have special police patrolling the Muslims. Let me tell you, that’s not only wrong and offensive, it’s dangerous. When you face terrorists, everybody has to be on the American team.”
She added: “Trump wants us to pull out of Nato. Yeah, really, the most effective defensive alliance in the history of the world... There’s work for us to do. Pulling out is the last and the worst idea.”
She rounded off with a call to arms that underlined the priority that Wisconsin has taken on as a chance to blunt Sanders’ momentum. “You’ve got one of the most important primaries a week from tomorrow and we need everybody to turn out to vote... We’re doing well but we’ve got to finish the job and get the nomination.”
Supporters crowded around Clinton afterwards and denied that she lacks charisma. Amy Blumenthal, 49, a fundraiser, said: “She’s a great speaker. She connected with the crowd. She’s warm and personable. She’s often portrayed as not being so.”
She added: “I like Bernie Sanders and I agree with what he sees as egregious problems but I don’t think he has practical solutions.”
Kubena-Marcus Collins, 37, who heads a non-profit organisation, said: “She understood the demographic of who was in the room. She picked up the cues. Today gave me more insights and I’ll potentially vote for her.”
John Kasich’s campaign strategist, John Weaver, tweeted his reaction to the news of Corey Lewandowski being charged with battery.
Campaigns reflect the values of the candidate. I know ours does. If this bully worked for John Kasich, he would have been fired long ago.
— John Weaver (@JWGOP) March 29, 2016
Just a reminder that when Michelle Fields, then a Brietbart reporter, first alleged that Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski had grabbed her arm, Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks released the following statement:
The accusation, which has only been made in the media and never addressed directly with the campaign, is entirely false. As one of dozens of individuals present as Mr. Trump exited the press conference I did not witness any encounter. In addition to our staff, which had no knowledge of said situation, not a single camera or reporter of more than 100 in attendance captured the alleged incident. This individual has never met Corey, nor had the only reporter that supposedly identified him.
There are often large crowds aggressively seeking access to Mr. Trump and our staff would never do anything to harm another individual, while at the same time understanding that Mr. Trump and his personal space should never be invaded.
This person claims she does not want to be part of the news, and only report it, however if that was the case, any concerns, however unfounded they may be, should have been voiced directly first and not via Twitter, especially since no other outlet or reporter witnessed or questioned anything that transpired that evening. We leave to others whether this is part of a larger pattern of exaggerating incidents, but on multiple occasions she has become part of the news story as opposed to reporting it. Recall she also claimed to have been beaten by a New York City Police officer with a baton.
If you missed Trump’s full statement on Corey Lewandowski earlier (it’s hidden in the initial news story), he supports his campaign manager:
Mr. Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge. He will enter a plea of not guilty and looks forward to his day in court. He is completely confident that he will be exonerated.
Trump’s statement then noted Lewandowski’s lawyers were Scott Richardson of West Palm Beach and Kendall Coffey of Miami.
Richardson’s website describes him as follows:
In 2010, Mr. Richardson joined the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office as the First Assistant State Attorney. As second in command of that office, he was responsible for supervising more than 125 prosecutors. While there, Mr. Richardson gained a unique understanding of the working operations as well as the personnel of the State Attorney’s Office, which has been invaluable since returning to private practice in early 2012.
In addition to his over 30 years of trial work, Mr. Richardson has also been involved in the training and education of lawyers in the United States and abroad. Mr. Richardson has been a member of the faculty of the Gerald Bennett Prosecutor/ Public Defender Trial Training Program of the Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar since 1998. He has taught criminal law at law schools in Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. He served on the Executive Council of the Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar, as well as on the Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases.
Coffey’s website describes him as follows:
Kendall Coffey is a founding member of Coffey Burlington, PL, concentrating on complex litigation at trial and appellate levels in federal and state courts. Mr. Coffey currently serves as the Chair of the Southern District Conference, Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.
From 1993-1996 he served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, one of the nation’s largest federal prosecution offices. Thereafter, he had major litigation roles in such high profile cases as the Elian Gonzalez international custody battle, and the 2000 presidential election recount. A legal media commentator on high-profile cases, he has appeared on the Today show, Larry King Live, the O’Reilly Factor, Good Morning America, the CBS Early Show, Anderson Cooper 360, Fox & Friends, CNN International, and numerous other nationally televised programs.
They are high-powered lawyers for a misdemeanor charge, wonder who is paying their fees?
Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, will appear before a judge on May 4 to face his charge of misdemeanor battery, reports the AP.
That’s one day after the Indiana Republican primary, and six days before the Nebraska and West Virginia primaries.
The police report states: “Lewandowski grabbed (Michelle) Fields’ left arm with his right hand causing her to turn and step back.” Fields showed police her left forearm which “appeared to show a grabbing-type injury,” according to the investigating officer.
Lewandowski charged with battery for attacking reporter
Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was charged with battery this morning over an incident involving a reporter during a Trump rally on March 8.
Jupiter Police released footage of Lewandowski grabbing the arm of Michelle Fields, the former Breitbart reporter. Fields is wearing a cream blazer and is in the bottom left of the crowd. Lewandowski appears to grab her arm and pull her back, while Trump continues to walk forwards.
Fields said she was attempting to ask Trump a question when Lewandowski grabbed her.
Donald Trump released a statement about his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski being charged with battery this morning:
Mr. Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge. He will enter a plea of not guilty and looks forward to his day in court. He is completely confident that he will be exonerated.
Fields tweeted pictures of her bruised arm after the incident. She resigned from Breitbart a week after the incident, stating that the rightwing website had not supported her.
I guess these just magically appeared on me @CLewandowski_ @realDonaldTrump. So weird. pic.twitter.com/oD8c4D7tw3
— Michelle Fields (@MichelleFields) March 10, 2016
Lewandowski denied he had touched her.
@MichelleFields you are totally delusional. I never touched you. As a matter of fact, I have never even met you.
— Corey Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) March 11, 2016
But he turned himself in to Jupiter Police around 8am this morning, with charges of misdemeanor battery laid shortly afterwards, reports Palm Beach Post.
Updated
Donald Trump seems particularly sensitive this morning.
I have millions more votes/hundreds more dels than Cruz or Kasich, and yet am not being treated properly by the Republican Party or the RNC.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016
His previous tweet was about CNN hosting his opponents regularly and his following tweet was about the lack of reporting on a new poll which shows him leading Cruz, so it’s unknown if this Republican Party anger is aimed at a specific event or not.
Scott Walker endorses Ted Cruz
Wisconsin governor and former presidential candidate Scott Walker has endorsed Ted Cruz for president.
“It’s time to elect a strong new leader, and I’ve chosen to support Ted Cruz ... I believe he’s a constitutional conservative,” he said, announcing his endorsement live on radio station WTMJ.
After the failed Obama-Clinton Admin, Americans want leadership. I endorse @TedCruz, a principled constitutional conservative who can win.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) March 29, 2016
Like we did in WI, @TedCruz isn’t afraid to stand up to big govt special interests. He understands that power belongs to states, not Wash DC
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) March 29, 2016
.@TedCruz is the best-positioned candidate to both win the Republican nomination and defeat Hillary Clinton. I’m proud to stand with him.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) March 29, 2016
Video screens at a Cruz rally in Wisconsin showed his big new endorsement.
Almost instantly, as supporters listen in to Walker on WTMJ, monitors at @tedcruz rally in WI switch to this --> pic.twitter.com/zbdQlKPoyP
— Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) March 29, 2016
The Wisconsin primary is next Tuesday. Walker, whose approval ratings dropped below 40% at the end of last year, promises to campaign with Cruz around the state.
Updated
Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House.
Today there is much debating over debates, with Ted Cruz calling on Donald Trump to debate him one-on-one, and Hillary Clinton’s strategist saying she’d only debate Bernie Sanders ahead of the New York primary if he changes the “tone of his campaign”.
On the Dems side, the hashtag #tonedownforwhat got trending after strategist Joel Benenson’s comments.
"You should be willing to debate any time; anywhere." - @HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/mtsp9PCfy2"#tonedownforwhat
— Amity (@lady_bacon) March 28, 2016
The Sanders camp requested a debate with Clinton over the weekend, and since the New York primary isn’t until 19 April, her camp says she has “plenty of time to consider”.
This morning Clinton hosts Community Forum on Gun Violence Prevention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while Sanders is hosting a rally in the same town at 5pm.
Tonight is the Republican town hall in Wisconsin at 8pm ET, a three-hour event with each of the GOP candidates getting one hour each. But Cruz wanted it to be just him and Trump in a debate. “We should make it a debate... Let’s combine our events,” he told CNN last night. “The only thing missing is Donald Trump because he’s scared to debate.”
It’s no surprise Cruz wants to go mano a mano – while at Princeton he won several national and international debating contests.
But now Trump is threatening to pull out of the events because of his distaste for CNN.
Wow, @CNN has nothing but my opponents on their shows. Really one-sided and unfair reporting. Maybe I shouldn't do their town-hall tonight!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016
Actress Susan Sarandon is stumping as a Sanders surrogate, but if the socialist revolutionary loses the nomination, the Hollywood star might pick Trump over Clinton. In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Monday night, she said she wasn’t sure if she could vote Clinton – pointing out her lack of support for the $15 national minimum wage and her taking money from big business.
Instead, she might lean Trump, an interesting sub-group of voters that the Guardian recently profiled.
“Some people feel that Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately if he gets in, things will really explode,” said Sarandon. When asked if that was “dangerous”, she replied: “It’s dangerous to think that we can continue the way we are with the militarized police force, with privatized prisons, with the death penalty, with the low minimum wage, threats to women’s rights and think you can’t do something huge to turn that around.”
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