Donald Trump’s campaign manager beat the rap.
Prosecutors in Palm Beach officially announced Thursday they were dropping a battery charge against Corey Lewandowskifor an alleged assault on former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields.
"I'm thankful for Mr. Trump and his loyalty at this very, very difficult time," Lewandowski told Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday night.
He called the charge a "huge distraction" to Trump's campaign, and insisted about the accused assault, "I don't remember it at all."
Neither Lewandowski nor the Trump campaign offered an apology to Fields, who said she suffered bruises from Lewandowski's grab.
The Florida State Attorney's office said there is "no reasonable doubt that Mr. Lewandowski pulled (Michelle) Fields' arm back as she was attempting to interview Mr. Trump,” but there is “a reasonable hypothesis of innocence” for his brutish actions.
Charlie Neibergall/AP
Corey Lewandowski (l.) and Donald Trump have smirked their way through the billionaire’s 2016 campaign.
The office said Lewandowski was "protecting" Trump from Fields, who then worked for the Trump-loving right-wing outlet Breitbart.
Fields posted photos on Twitter showing bruises she said came from Lewandowski's grab. Her accusations spurred a meltdown at Breitbart, which refused to stand by its reporter. Fields and several other staff members resigned in disgust.
Lewandowski had initially denied ever touching Fields during the March 8 campaign event in Jupiter, Fla., and suggested Fields was “deranged” for claiming he had done so.
Video later showed that Lewandowski had indeed grabbed her arm, and he was charged.
But prosecutors said there’s not enough evidence for a conviction on his misdemeanor simple battery charge.