Sexual Assault Charges Filed Against Former Trump Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski

By Molly Olmstead, Slate

27 December 17

 

oy Villa, the singer who made headlines last year for wearing a Make America Great Again dress at the Grammys, has filed sexual assault charges against Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, accusing him of twice slapping her buttocks at a Trump campaign event.

The alleged incident, which Politico first reported Friday, occurred at a Nov. 28 party thrown by the campaign at the Trump International Hotel. Villa, a Trump supporter who has connections to people in Trump’s orbit, said a mutual friend introduced her to Lewandowski and that she posed with him for a photo. Lewandowski has not commented on the incident.

According to Politico:

Her first impression, she said, was that he seemed dismissive of her, and rolled his eyes when he thought she wanted to pose for a photo with him.

“I’m wearing this silver suit and stretchy pants, and after the photo, he smacks my ass really hard,” Villa said. “It was completely demeaning and shocking.”

Villa told Politico she had “half-jokingly” told Lewandowski she could report him for sexual harassment. “He said, ‘Go ahead, I work in the private sector,’” she told Politico. “Then he smacks my ass again.”

Villa spoke publicly about the incident after other witnesses told Politico what they had seen. She then filed charges Sunday of misdemeanor sexual assault with the Metropolitan Police Department.

Lewandowski was charged with battery in March 2016, when he was still Trump’s campaign manager, after a Breitbart reporter, Michelle Fields, accused him of grabbing and bruising her arm and knocking her down at a campaign event. Fields dropped the charges, and Lewandowski was soon fired from the campaign.

Villa has said she is considering running for a congressional seat in Florida. In October, Trump tweeted his approval of the idea:

Good luck to @Joy_Villa on her decision to enter the wonderful world of politics. She has many fans!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2017

According to Politico, she is planning to go to D.C. to meet with investigators over the incident.