Update: Are Trump’s children to blame for Lewandowski's exit?
In a surprising Monday morning announcement, Donald Trump has said goodbye to his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Fox News’ Howard Kurtz called it his “highest profile firing since the Apprentice.”
A statement was released by the Trump campaign – sans explanation.
“The Donald J. Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,” the campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, said in a statement. “The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.”
Lewandowski was the center of controversy earlier this year when video showed him grabbing former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields’ arm after a campaign event in Florida. He escaped battery charges, but he couldn’t escape the bad optics.
Fields responded to the news on Twitter.
Hey @CLewandowski_ I hear @BreitbartNews is hiring https://t.co/YKOZqRdi0p
— Michelle Fields (@MichelleFields) June 20, 2016
Trump has three weeks to replace his right hand man before the RNC convention. Some rumors suggest former presidential advisor Paul Manafort is the next logical choice.