Corey Lewandowski

Corey Lewandowski
Born (1973-09-18) September 18, 1973
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater University of Massachusetts,
Lowell (BA)
American University (MA)
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Alison Lewandowski (m. 2005)
Children 4

Corey R. Lewandowski (/luːənˈdaʊski/; born September 18, 1973)[1] is an American political operative. He was a political commentator at CNN and (prior to being fired) the campaign manager of president elect Donald Trump's 2016 campaign for President of the United States from January 2015 to June 2016.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Prior to joining Trump's campaign, Lewandowski worked for several campaigns and was a lobbyist. He worked for Americans for Prosperity in a variety of roles, and led the group's national voter registration effort for 11 months.[5] Lewandowski himself has run unsuccessfully for office twice, once in Massachusetts and once in New Hampshire.

Early life

The grandson of a union printer, Lewandowski grew up in the 1980s in Lowell, Massachusetts, playing pond hockey in the winters.[2]

Education

Lewandowski graduated from Lowell Catholic High School, a private, not-for-profit, college-preparatory school in his hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1991.[9] He is of Polish descent.[10] In 1995 he graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell with a B.A. in political science.[11] He received his MA from American University in Washington, DC in 1997.

Political career

1994 State House campaign

In 1994, while an undergraduate student, Lewandowski ran for a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a write-in candidate in the Republican primary. He received 143 votes, falling short of the 150 votes needed to win the party's nomination for the ballot. In the November general election, the seat was won by Thomas A. Golden Jr., a Democrat.[12] Golden received 7,157 votes, while Lewandowski received 7 votes.[12][13]

Early work

After graduating from college, Lewandowski worked as an aide for Republican Massachusetts Congressman Peter G. Torkildsen[14] from January 1996 to January 1997 while a graduate student at American University; he was awarded a master's degree in political science in 1997.[2] As a student in 1997, Lewandowski interned for Massachusetts State Senator Steven C. Panagiotakos, a Democrat.[9]

From December 1997 to February 2001, Lewandowski worked as an administrative assistant for Ohio Republican Bob Ney, a U.S. Congressman.[15] In 2007, before Ney was sentenced on federal corruption charges arising from the Abramoff scandal, Lewandowski wrote a letter to the presiding judge, saying that Ney was a mentor and "surrogate father" to him and asking for leniency in sentencing.[15][16]

In 1999, while working for Ney, Lewandowski brought a loaded handgun in a laundry bag into the Longworth House Office Building.[17][18] He was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for bringing a handgun and ammunition into a secure federal building.[18] Lewandowski said it was all an accident, saying that he forgot the gun was in the bag when he put the laundry in it.[18] The charges eventually were dismissed; Lewandowski then unsuccessfully fought for four years to get the gun back, filing lawsuits in multiple District of Columbia and federal courts.[19]

After leaving Ney's office, Lewandowski worked most of 2001 for the Republican National Committee as the Northeast legislative political director.[2]

Smith campaign

Lewandowski was the campaign manager for the 2002 re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Robert C. Smith of New Hampshire.[20] Smith was challenged in the Republican primary by John E. Sununu.[21]

Speaking about Sununu, Lewandowski said, "The people of New Hampshire want someone in the U.S. Senate with clear, concise views on terrorism. They'll judge a congressman based on the people he associates with, his voting record and his campaign contributions."[21] Lewandowski told a reporter he would be interested to know whether anyone associated with Hamas had attended a fundraising event for Sununu.[22] (Lewandowski cited contributions made by Washington lawyer George Salem to Sununu; Salem, who chaired Arab Americans for Bush-Cheney during the 2000 Bush/Cheney campaign, was the attorney for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which had its assets frozen by the U.S. government in 2001 on suspicion of ties to Hamas.)[21] Lewandowski's comments were interpreted as publicly suggesting that Sununu, who is of Lebanese descent, had divided loyalties in fighting terrorism.[17]

Former New Hampshire Governor Steve Merrill said, "The politics of ethnic slurs and bigotry have no place in any campaign."[21] Former New Hampshire Senator Warren Rudman said, "Bob Smith is a better human being than that, and he ought to tell his people to watch themselves."[21] President George W. Bush's spokesperson said, "The White House called Senator Smith's office. ... Remarks that paint Arab Americans with a broad brush aren't helpful. We need to reassure Arab Americans that this war is about al-Qaida, not Islam. Mr. Salem is a good friend of the president's and an honorable man."[21]

Smith's press secretary said Lewandowski was "merely responding to media inquiries" about Salem's fund raising and that "Senator Smith has repeatedly said this campaign is about records—Congressman Sununu's record and Senator Smith's record. Someone's ethnic background has absolutely nothing to do with this election."[21]

Sununu defeated Smith in the Republican primary, winning 53% of the vote to Smith's 45%.[23][24] Smith was the first sitting U.S. senator in ten years to lose a primary campaign.[25]

Schwartz MSL, Americans for Prosperity, and other work

From 2003 to 2004, Lewandowski was executive director of the New England Seafood Producers Association.[26][27]

From 2004 to 2012, Lewandowski worked for Schwartz MSL, a strategic communication and engagement firm where, according to his LinkedIn profile, he served as director of public affairs from September 2004 until July 2012. Lewandowski was registered as a lobbyist for Schwartz MSL on behalf of Passport Systems in 2011, lobbying on homeland security issues.[27] Schwartz represented Passport Systems for six years, and the firm paid Schwartz more than $350,000 over that period. Between 2008 and 2011, Passport Systems secured more than $23.9 million in federal funds. Lewandowski represented two other clients: health care software company Logical Images and solar-power company Borrego Solar.[28]

Lewandowski graduated from the New Hampshire police academy in 2006[17] and worked from 2006 to 2010 as a seasonal marine patrol officer trainee[28] with the New Hampshire State Police.[25][29]

In 2008, Lewandowski began working for Americans for Prosperity, a Koch brothers-backed advocacy group.[27][28] Lewandowski's period working for Americans for Prosperity overlapped with his tenure as a marine patrol officer trainee and registered federal lobbyist.[28] Lewandowski was Americans for Prosperity's New Hampshire director,[28][30] and East Coast regional director before becoming the national director of voter registration, a position he held until January 2015.[5][27] Lewandowski's term at Americans for Prosperity was described by Politico as "tumultuous" and marked by "fiery confrontations" with other AFP employees.[25]

While working for Americans for Prosperity, Lewandowski criticized the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade system for state utilities, saying "it does nothing to reduce greenhouse gases because jobs and businesses just move to other states."[30] At the same time, Lewandowski lobbied for Borrego Solar, helping to secure a $500,000 earmark in the 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act that benefited a solar electricity project in Lancaster, Massachusetts, that Borrego was involved in. Newsweek noted, "Though he had succeeded as a pro-solar lobbyist looking for government assistance, at AFP he waged a campaign against government programs that supported green energy."[28]

In 2012, while still working for Americans for Prosperity, Lewandowski unsuccessfully ran for town treasurer of Windham, New Hampshire. NPR reported that during the campaign, Lewandowski "upended the town's politics, using public records laws to probe local government and launching robocalls targeted at voters to stoke outrage over a visit to the town by President Obama."[16] Robert Skinner defeated Lewandowski, receiving 1,941 votes to Lewandowski's 714.[31]

Trump 2016 presidential campaign

Lewandowski first met Trump in April 2014 at a political event in New Hampshire.[3][17] In January 2015, six months before Trump announced his campaign, Lewandowski was invited to Trump Tower, where he accepted an offer from Trump to become campaign manager.[9] His salary was $20,000 per month.[32]

When Lewandowski was hired, Trump's political staff consisted of three people: his lawyer Michael D. Cohen, veteran operative Roger Stone, and aide Sam Nunberg.[33] In April 2016, another veteran GOP operative, Paul Manafort, was hired; the following month Manafort was named “campaign chairman.”[34] Nunberg was fired in early August 2015;[35] he believes that it was Lewandowski and campaign press secretary Hope Hicks who asked Trump for his ouster.[36] Stone left the campaign a week later.[37]

Lewandowski's motto as Trump's campaign manager was "Let Trump be Trump"; those words appeared on his office white board.[38] Trump said of Lewandowski, "He leaves me alone, but he knows when to make his presence felt."[24]

After a win in New Hampshire on February 9, 2016, Trump acknowledged Lewandowski's role in the win by praising his ground game.[16]

Alleged physical incidents

Capture from a police video showing Lewandowski, while working as Donald Trump's campaign manager, grabbing the arm of Michelle Fields, a former Breitbart reporter.

On March 10, 2016, Michelle Fields, a reporter for Breitbart News, wrote that, after she asked Donald Trump a question when she approached him after a March 8, 2016, press conference in Jupiter, Florida, she was forcefully grabbed by Lewandowski.[39][40][41][42] On March 29, 2016, Lewandowski was charged with one count of simple battery by the Jupiter Police Department and surrendered himself to the authorities, after releasing a statement maintaining his innocence.[43][44][45]

On April 14, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg filed court documents saying that his office would not prosecute Lewandowski. Prosecutors determined that "there was probable cause to make an arrest" and "the facts support the allegation that Mr. Lewandowski did grab Ms. Fields' arm against her will" but that "the evidence cannot prove all legally required elements of the crime alleged and is insufficient to support a criminal prosecution."[46]

On March 19, 2016, during a campaign event in Tucson, Arizona, Lewandowski drew criticism for his handling of a protester. A video shows Lewandowski grabbing the protester by the collar.[47][48][49] The campaign and Lewandowski denied the allegation.[50][51]

Departure

In April 2016, Lewandowski's influence within the Trump campaign was reported to be waning.[52][53]

On June 20, 2016, Trump's campaign announced that it was parting ways with Lewandowski; according to reports, Lewandowski was fired, although Mr. Trump’s son Donald Jr. described the split as "amicable."[54][55] The move occurred after Lewandowski clashed with Trump chief strategist and campaign chairman Paul Manafort in an internal "power struggle."[54][55] After Lewandowski's departure, Manafort (who had been brought on the campaign in March 2016) became the de facto campaign manager.[55][56]

CNN commentator

Days after Lewandowski left the Trump campaign, he was hired by the cable news network CNN as a political commentator.[57] Lewandowski remains subject to a non-disclosure agreement that he signed with Trump, forbidding him "from making disparaging or revealing remarks about the candidate."[58] Lewandowski receives severance pay from the Trump campaign while working for CNN. In July 2016, after the group Media Matters for America noted that CNN had not disclosed this to viewers, CNN hosts began making on-air disclosures of the severance payments before Lewandowski's appearances.[59]

In July 2016, Lewandowski defended Trump after the presidential candidate received criticism after tweeting a graphic that labeled Hillary Clinton the "most corrupt candidate" alongside a pile of cash and a six-pointed star evoking the Star of David. (The image originated on an Internet message board featuring antisemitic conspiracy theories). During an appearance on CNN's State of the Union with Brianna Keilar, Lewandowski denied allegations of antisemitism and said that criticism of the tweet was "political correctness run amok."[60][61]

In an August 2016 appearance on CNN, Lewandowski espoused the "birther" conspiracy theory, incorrectly suggesting that President Barack Obama was not a natural-born-citizen of the United States.[58][62] Lewandowski's statement was criticized by the other panelists, Angela Rye and Bakari Sellers.[58][62]

On November 11, 2016, Lewandowski resigned as a CNN commentator amid speculation that he would play a role in the Trump administration.[63]

Personal life

Lewandowski met his future wife Alison when he was in ninth grade and she was in eighth. She married one of his best friends in 1998, but he died on United Airlines Flight 175 during the September 11, 2001 attacks. She married Lewandowski four years later.[17] Lewandowski is a father of four children.[25]

Lewandowski is Roman Catholic.[17] He lives in Windham, New Hampshire.[11]

Electoral history

1994

Massachusetts House of Representatives, 15th Middlesex, General Election, 1994[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas A. Golden Jr 7,157 99.9
Republican Corey Lewandowski (write-in) 7 0.1

2012

Town Treasurer, Windham, Election, 2012[31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Non-partisan Robert Skinner 1,941 73
Non-partisan Corey Lewandowski 714 27

References

  1. ↑ Stokols, Eli; Gold, Hadas; Gass, Nick (March 29, 2016). "Trump turns blame on reporter in battery case". Politico. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016. The police report states, 'Based on the above-described investigation, probable cause exists to charge Corey Lewandowski DOB 9/18/1973...'
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ben Schreckinger and Cate Martel (July 22, 2015). The man behind Donald Trump's run. Politico. Retrieved: July 23, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Phillips, Amber (July 23, 2015). "Meet the man behind Donald Trump's presidential campaign". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  4. ↑ Epstein, Reid J. (July 23, 2015). "Q&A: Your Questions About the GOP Presidential Field, Answered". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Dáte, S.V. (July 7, 2015). "Donald Trump Is Buying a New Hampshire Campaign Wholesale". National Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  6. ↑ Haberman, Maggie (2016-06-20). "Donald Trump Parts Ways With Corey Lewandowski, His Campaign Manager". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
  7. ↑ "Trump parts ways with campaign manager". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
  8. ↑ Stelter, Brian (2016-06-23). "CNN hires Corey Lewandowski as political commentator". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  9. 1 2 3 "On the stump for Trump: Lowell native Corey Lewandowski running presidential campaign". The Lowell Sun. July 24, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  10. ↑ Corey Lewandowski - doradca o polskich korzeniach prowadzi Donalda Trumpa na szczyty - Polskatimes.pl
  11. 1 2 Matt Stout (July 25, 2015). "Trumpeting The Donald". Boston Herald.
  12. 1 2 Swaine, Jon (April 1, 2016). "Trump campaign manager sued to get on Massachusetts ballot as 21-year-old". The Guardian.
  13. 1 2 "1994 State Representative General Election: 15th Middlesex District". Massachusetts Election Statistics. Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Accessed on June 27, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Out With Old, In With New". Associated Press. Tulsa World. November 23, 1996.
  15. 1 2 Rahn, Will (August 3, 2015). "Donald Trump's Campaign Chief Backed a Crooked Congressman, Called Him 'My Surrogate Father'". The Daily Beast.
  16. 1 2 3 Rogers, Josh (February 22, 2016). "Meet Donald Trump's Alter Ego". All Things Considered. NPR.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tumulty, Karen (March 30, 2016). "Who is Corey Lewandowski? His rise — and his relationship with Donald Trump". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  18. 1 2 3 DiStaso, John. "GOP chairman explains the ground rules". The New Hampshire Union Leader. December 20, 2001.
  19. ↑ Wolf, Richard (March 31, 2016). "Merrick Garland heard Trump campaign manager's appeal over gun in 2003". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  20. ↑ DiStaso, John. "Will Stickney back Sununu? Not in the cards". New Hampshire Union Leader. November 29, 2001.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Babington, Charles. "Smith Takes Swipe at Sununu, White House Swipes Back". The Washington Post (December 23, 2001).
  22. ↑ Fahey, Tom. "White House gets involved in Smith-Sununu election discord". The New Hampshire Union Leader. December 15, 2001.
  23. ↑ "Federal Elections 2002 U.S. Senate Results". Federal Election Commission. 2002.
  24. 1 2 Haberman, Maggie (September 4, 2015). "For His Unconventional Campaign, Donald Trump Looks to an Unorthodox Manager". The New York Times.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Vogel, Kenneth; Schreckinger, Ben; Gold, Hadas (March 15, 2016). "Trump campaign manager's behavior prompted staff concerns". Politico. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Can Corey Lewandowski save New England's seafood industry?". Intrafish. July 16, 2003.
  27. 1 2 3 4 Dick, Jason (March 30, 2016). "Who Is Corey Lewandowski? Trump campaign manager, seasoned political operative". CQ-Roll Call.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Choma, Russ (March 30, 2016). "Donald Trump Campaign Manager's Diametric Double Life as a Solar Power Lobbyist". Newsweek.
  29. ↑ Stevenson, Seth. "A Week on the Trail With the "Disgusting Reporters" Covering Donald Trump". Slate. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  30. 1 2 "How to Live Freer in New Hampshire". Wall Street Journal. February 25, 2011.
  31. 1 2 "Windham Town Results". Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Massachusetts). March 5, 2012.
  32. ↑ Ballhaus, Rebecca; Haddon, Heather (July 17, 2015). "One Sign of Inflation: Salaries for Some Presidential Campaigns". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  33. ↑ Sherman, Gabriel (August 6, 2015). "The Trump Campaign Has Descended Into Civil War - Even Ivanka Has Gotten Involved". New York. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  34. ↑ Kirkland, Allegra (June 20, 2016). "How Did Corey Lewandowski Last This Long?". TPM. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  35. ↑ Diamond, Jeremy. "Trump campaign fires staffer over Facebook posts". CNN. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  36. ↑ Nuzzi, Olivia (June 20, 2016). "The Mystifying Triumph of Hope Hicks, Donald Trump's Right-Hand Woman". GQ. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  37. ↑ Caputo, Marc (August 8, 2015). "Sources: Roger Stone quit, wasn't fired by Trump in campaign shakeup". Politico. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Meet the Man Who Helps Trump Be Trump". Wall Street Journal. February 10, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Michelle Fields: In Her Own Words". Breitbart. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Inside Trump's inner circle, his staffers are willing to fight for him. Literally.". The Washington Post. March 10, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Exclusive: Transcript of female Breitbart reporter allegedly being roughed up by Trump campaign manager". Politico. March 10, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Video Shows Trump Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski Grabbing Reporter Michelle Fields". Daily Beast. March 11, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Trump campaign manager Lewandowski charged with battery". CNBC. March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Trump aide charged with misdemeanor battery vs. ex-Breitbart reporter". Palm Beach Post. March 29, 2016.
  45. ↑ Tesfaye, Sophia (March 29, 2016). "Busted! Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski officially charged with assaulting ex-Breitbart staffer". Salon. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  46. ↑ Anderson, Curt (April 14, 2015). "Prosecutor won't pursue battery charge against Trump aide". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  47. ↑ Revesz, Rachael (March 21, 2016). "Donald Trump's campaigner was filmed grabbing a protester by the collar". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  48. ↑ Corasaniti, Nick. "Trump faults protesters over violence, not their assailants". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  49. ↑ Vitali, Ali (March 20, 2016). "Trump Campaign Denies That Video Shows Lewandowski Grabbing Protester". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  50. ↑ Jacobs, Ben (March 20, 2016). "Trump campaign denies manager grabbed protester at Arizona rally". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Trump Campaign Denies Campaign Manager Grabbed Protester". ABC News. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  52. ↑ Ben Schreckinger & Kenneth P. Vogel,Trump campaign shrinks Lewandowski's role: Despite the billionaire's staunch defense, his embattled campaign manager is losing clout, Politico (April 2, 2016).
  53. ↑ Ben Jacobs, Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski will not face battery charges, Guardian (April 14, 2016) ("While Trump has stood by Lewandowski through the controversy, the political operative's influence has been waning in recent weeks. This has not been connected to allegations of violence but instead to internal maneuverings as the Trump campaign tries to build an operation, led by veteran Republican operative Paul Manafort, capable of wooing delegates in a contested convention.").
  54. 1 2 Maggie Haberman, Donald Trump Fires Corey Lewandowski, His Campaign Manager, New York Times (June 20, 2016).
  55. 1 2 3 Trump splits with campaign manager Lewandowski, Fox News (June 20, 2016).
  56. ↑ Jonathan Martin, Trump Campaign Denounces John Kasich in Ohio, Where Convention Begins, New York Times (July 18, 2016).
  57. ↑ Stelter, Brian (June 23, 2016). "CNN hires Corey Lewandowski as political commentator". CNN. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  58. 1 2 3 Nick Corasaniti, Corey Lewandowski, Former Trump Campaign Manager, Dives Back Into 'Birtherism', New York Times (August 3, 2016).
  59. ↑ David Bauder, CNN revealing Lewandowski's severance payments, Associated Press (July 13, 2016).
  60. ↑ Jeremy Diamond, Trump campaign defends tweet as a 'basic star' in wake of criticism, CNN (July 4, 2016).
  61. ↑ Robillard, Kevin (3 July 2016). "Politico: Lewandowski blames Star of David blowup on 'political correctness'". Politico. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  62. 1 2 Nick Gass, CNN contributor Corey Lewandowski: Was Obama a citizen when he went to Harvard?, Politico (August 3, 2016).
  63. ↑ http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/11/media/corey-lewandowski-resigns-cnn/

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