Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign manager has been arrested in Florida and charged with simple battery.
The Jupiter Police Department said Corey Lewandowski was charged for intentionally grabbing and bruising the arm of Michelle Fields, a former reporter for the conservative news outlet Breitbart, against her will at a Trump campaign event on March 8.
"Mr Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge," Mr Trump said in a statement on Tuesday.
"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."
Footage of the incident shows Mr Lewandowski grabbing at Ms Fields' arm while she tries to ask the Republican frontrunner a question. He then gets between the pair.
Mr Trump tweeted about the arrest, saying Mr Lewandowski was a "decent man" and the video showed there was "nothing there".
Earlier in March, Mr Lewandowski called Ms Fields "totally delusional" and claimed not only did he not touch her, but the pair had never met.
Ms Fields has tweeted several short clips showing the incident from different angles, as well as a picture of her bruised arm.
"Seriously, just stop lying," she tweeted at Mr Trump this morning.
According to the New York Times, Mr Lewandowski "has been known to scream and curse at reporters with regularity", and recently confronted a protester at a Trump campaign rally in Arizona by grabbing his collar and pulling him.
A spokesperson for Mr Trump's campaign tried to claim Mr Lewandowski had not been arrested, and instead had only been "issued a notice to appear".
Reuters / Newshub.
