The political class barely shrugged in August when Corey Lewandowski introduced he was again at former President Donald Trump’s facet. However when Trashelle Odom realized that Lewandowski had joined Trump’s 2024 presidential marketing campaign as a senior adviser, it was a intestine punch. That is as a result of a bit of over three years in the past, in 2021, Odom, then the spouse of a rich Republican donor, had reported Lewandowski to the police for allegedly assaulting and stalking her at a Las Vegas charity occasion. Later, she stated his legal professionals provided her fee to maintain quiet.
Lewandowski, who was Trump’s first marketing campaign supervisor, was charged with misdemeanor battery and reached an settlement with prosecutors to dismiss the fees in alternate for group service, a $1,000 high quality, enrollment in an impulse management class and an apology in courtroom to Odom for “any discomfort he might have brought on her.” Lewandowski was ousted from Trump’s orbit, the place he’d been operating a brilliant PAC supporting the previous president. A Trump spokesman vowed on the time that Lewandowski “would not be related to Trump world.”
In response to a request for remark, legal professionals for Lewandowski, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said, “Lewandowski was not charged with assault or stalking in Clark County, Nevada. In actual fact, the case in opposition to Mr. Lewandowski was dismissed.”
Odom stated his dismissal put her on a path to therapeutic. She divorced, moved to a different state, left the world of politics and began a small enterprise whereas elevating her younger kids.
So when a pal referred to as her final month to inform her Lewandowski was again within the Trump fold, she instructed CBS Information she was surprised.
“I simply broke down,” she stated in her first tv interview since Lewandowski’s return. “I used to be very, very upset.” Odom stated she wished others to listen to her story. “He has his energy again,” she stated.
Lewandowski’s aggressive model and penchant for private peccadilloes made for a turbulent tenure in Trump’s orbit. However Trump has stayed loyal to Lewandowksi, bringing him again into his internal circle after he was fired twice, as soon as by the marketing campaign and as soon as by the tremendous PAC Make America Nice Once more Motion.
The longtime political strategist, who as soon as served as a New Hampshire state trooper, rose to prominence for his position in catapulting Trump — a longshot candidate — all the way in which to the White Home. For the reason that 2016 election, he is been described as a sort of consolation pillow for Trump. He’s somebody who encourages the previous president’s extra excessive instincts, even when different aides wish to rein him in.
“Let Trump be Trump” is Lewandowski’s mantra — and the title of a e-book he co-wrote in 2017 with Dave Bossie, Trump’s former deputy marketing campaign supervisor.
“I identical to him,” Trump lately instructed New York journal. “Corey’s a personality.” Lewandowski confronted scrutiny for his remedy of girls nearly from the beginning. Throughout the 2016 marketing campaign, CCTV footage confirmed him grabbing a journalist’s arm following a press convention. Photographs from the video confirmed she had bruises on her arm. Lewandowski was charged with easy battery, however prosecutors finally dropped the fees.
Lewandowski’s legal professionals stated in response to the allegation that the matter “was concluded way back with Florida authorities electing to not pursue costs after finishing their investigation.”
In 2017, a lady instructed police that Lewandowski slapped her behind throughout a vacation occasion on the Trump Worldwide Lodge in Washington, D.C. She objected, in line with the police report, however Lewandowski ignored her disapproval and did it once more.
“It was utterly demeaning and surprising,” she instructed Politico, however in the long run, she declined to press costs.
Odom stated she’d hoped to by no means should publicly revisit the reminiscences. However after studying that Lewandowski had returned to Trump’s facet, she instructed CBS Information she felt compelled to come back ahead and inform her story. She stated she wished to “give a voice” to ladies who might have had related experiences however cannot communicate up.
“I would like them to really feel secure, and I do not need this to occur to anybody else,” she stated.
She described what occurred to her that night as terrifying and at occasions through the interview fought again tears. Lewandowski, Odom stated, made her really feel uncomfortable from the second she sat down subsequent to him.
“He was focusing on simply me. His eyes have been simply on me,” she stated. He shortly turned the dialog to his exercise routines and bragged about his sexual prowess. “He stated that I ought to go work out with him in his bed room …and he was saying how giant his privates have been and saying how lengthy he lasts in mattress due to how a lot he works out.”
Quickly, in line with Odom, Lewandwowski started touching her. “He was … placing his fingers, like on my lap,” and he tried to “simply caress my leg and like going up my facet and like, attempting to the touch my butt.” She stated when she left the dinner, Lewandowski adopted her by means of the resort.
“I felt like I used to be his prey,” she stated. “He was very persistent, aggressive.” At one level, she stated Lewandowski threw his drink at her. When she confronted him about it, “he began laughing,” Odom recalled.
Odom, now 35, was uncovered to the political world by means of her now ex-husband, John Odom, a Boise, Idaho, development government who gave generously to Trump’s reelection effort. However she stated she does not need her story to be caught up within the political maelstrom.
“I do not need it to be about Trump. I do not need it to be about politics,” she stated.
And but, she is talking out only a month earlier than the presidential election, at a time when Trump is going through a historic gender hole together with his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. In response to CBS Information’ most up-to-date polling, Harris leads Trump amongst ladies, 55% to 44%. Nicely conscious of the deficit, Trump has been courting ladies voters. He lately took to social media to make the case that girls could be much better off if he have been to win the presidency, moderately than Harris.
“I’ll defend ladies at a degree by no means seen earlier than,” he boasted on Fact Social. “They may lastly be wholesome, hopeful, secure, and safe.”
However Trump, after all, has his personal baggage in relation to the remedy of girls. Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by no fewer than 20 ladies through the years, allegations that he has denied. And final 12 months he was held answerable for sexual abuse in a civil case introduced by journal journalist E. Jean Carroll (Trump is interesting the decision).
In the meantime, proof has emerged that the Trump marketing campaign has paid cash to ladies to bury their accusations. A July submitting in a gender discrimination case in opposition to the 2016 Trump marketing campaign included textual content messages from former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis alleging that the marketing campaign settled a number of sexual harassment instances. For her half, Odom revealed in her CBS Information interview that Lewandowski’s legal professionals had provided her greater than $30,000 to maintain the episode confidential. She rejected the supply.
A couple of days after Odom accused Lewandowski of sexually harassing her, she acquired a name from Trump, who himself has been discovered responsible in a “hush cash” case.
Throughout their dialog, Trump alleged that Lewandowski had been drunk. Odom stated she appreciated the decision. Donald Trump Jr. referred to as, as nicely, expressing his remorse over what had occurred to her.
“He was very type and stated issues to make me really feel like Corey wouldn’t be there anymore,” Odom stated.
The Trump marketing campaign has not responded to a request for remark.
Since Lewandowki has been again, he is been given a public-facing position, defending Trump and driving the marketing campaign’s message in a number of TV interviews. He has not been requested about Odom’s accusation. Odom, for her half, by no means wished to go on tv to speak about what occurred to her that evening in Las Vegas, however she stated she felt she had no selection. She believes Lewandowski has not modified.
“If I may give just a bit bit to 1 individual, me talking up is value it,” she stated by means of tears.
