Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has quite a reputation for workplace outbursts. His crass, in-your-face style goes beyond any lines of acceptable norms. And as several of his former co-workers tell it, Lewandowski saves his worst behavior for females.
It’s common for presidential candidates to have to manage through multiple crises during the course of a national campaign. Scandal, controversy, and just old-fashioned mud-slinging are all par for the course in American politics. But it is out of the ordinary for candidate’s campaign manager to be at the center of these things.
Donald Trump’s right hand man, Corey Lewandowski, is quickly becoming even more notorious than his boss. Lewandowski is currently embattled in a criminal investigation over an alleged assault of female reporter Michelle Fields. While Trump has pledged to remain loyal to his campaign manager, more people from Lewandowski are stepping forward to share experiences with the former cop turned political operative. And the picture being painted is not a pretty one.
In an exclusive to “The Daily Beast,” several of Lewandowski’s former subordinates and coworkers are speaking out about the man they used to work with. They remember a brutish and abrasive personality that was tough on others — especially women. Lisa Bast was a field director for Americans for Prosperity (AFP) of Ohio when Lewandoski was the state director. She recalls a time when she missed a 7 a.m. conference call and received a reprimand from her boss.
“He called me a f**king b**ch, yelling, ‘I am going to fire your f**king ass!’”
Lewandoski’s temper was well-known and his subordinates became fearful of his unpredictable outbursts. Another field director from AFP Ohio, Pat Maloney, characterized Lewandoski as “a condescending, nasty brutish boor.”
Politico interviewed multiple people who have worked with Lewandoski in the past and also found a consistently nasty pattern of behavior. According to an article published on March 15th, they interviewed over 20 former associates.
“Complaints emerged about Lewandowski being rough with reporters and sexually suggestive with female journalists, while profanely berating conservative officials and co-workers he deemed to be challenging his authority.”
One of the worst examples of his volatile behavior was displayed at a 2013 AFP board meeting in Manhattan. According to Politico’s investigation, Lewandowski confronted a female co-worker who challenged him by getting in her face and calling her a “c**t” in front of a large group of people, including some AFP senior executives. When the publication asked him for a comment regarding the alleged incident, which Politico verified with three sources, Lewandowski refused.
For his part, Lewandowski has done little to clear up his image. He’s refused most media requests wanting answers regarding his behavior even though many female reporters have spoken off the records about his unwanted sexual advances. In fact, right now there are few people who want to go on the record to stand up for Corey Lewandowski. But as long as he has the support of the man signing his checks, we can continue to expect Lewandowski to remain behind the scenes at the Trump campaign.
Featured image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
