Corey Lewandowski Is Removed From Top Trump PAC Amid Sexual Harassment Claims

A donor said the top Trump aide touched her inappropriately and "said vile and disgusting things" during a Las Vegas charity event.
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Corey Lewandowski, a longtime aide to Donald Trump, was removed from his role as chair of the MAGA Action political committee on Wednesday amid claims he sexually harassed a donor.

“Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service,” Taylor Budowich, a spokesperson for the former president, wrote on Twitter. “He will no longer be associated with Trump World.”

The news came shortly after Politico reported a top Trump donor accused Lewandowski of making unwanted sexual advances during a charity event in Las Vegas this weekend. The woman, Trashelle Odom, said Lewandowski touched her on the leg and buttocks and used sexually explicit language toward her.

The news outlet added that four people said they witnessed the acts, and two others said Odom spoke about them immediately after the charity gathering.

“He repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful,” Odom, who is married to an Idaho construction executive, told Politico in a statement. “I am coming forward because he needs to be held accountable.”

The event took place at a casino in Las Vegas as part of a gathering for the Victoria’s Voice Foundation, an effort to combat drug addiction. Lewandowski was seated next to Odom at a small dinner that also included South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R). Lewandowski serves as an informal adviser to Noem, and it’s unclear if he will continue to work for her.

An attorney for Lewandowski told Politico the accusations were “morphing by the minute” and said his team would not “dignify them with a further response.”

Odom’s husband, John Odom, said the family was considering legal options.

The New York Times said that it’s unclear if Lewandowski will be permanently banished from the Trump orbit, noting he has been removed and then reinstated in the past over his behavior. He was first fired in June 2016 after serving as Trump’s campaign manager but was again in the then-candidate’s good graces a month later.

Lewandowski was also accused of untoward behavior by Trump supporter Joy Villa in 2017. The singer claimed he slapped her on the buttocks during a party, although it’s unclear what became of those allegations.

Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, will replace Lewandowski as the head of the MAGA Action committee.

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