South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem severs ties with longtime Trump aide after harassment allegations

By Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey,

South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R) announced Thursday that she would stop working with former Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski after allegations surfaced that he had sexually harassed a donor at a dinner they both attended in Las Vegas.

The actions follow a decision by former president Donald Trump, conveyed through a spokesman, to cut ties with Lewandowski, his 2016 campaign manager and the current head of a Trump-affiliated fundraising effort, after a donor accused Lewandowski of repeatedly groping her and making unwanted sexual comments at an event last weekend that Noem also attended.

Charles Herbster, a Republican candidate for governor in Nebraska, also announced Thursday that he was asking Lewandowski to step back from his role as a senior adviser to the campaign.

“Corey and his family will remain in my prayers,” Herbster said in a statement.

Lewandowski had become one of Noem’s political advisers in recent months, traveling the country with her to attend donor and Republican National Committee events as she laid the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign effort in 2024. He also helped to write her speeches, according to people familiar with the work who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The two were often seen at dinners and private events together.

“Corey was always a volunteer, never paid a dime (campaign or official),” Ian Fury, Noem’s communications director, said in a statement Thursday. “He will not be advising the governor in regard to the campaign or official office.”

Separately, Noem issued a statement on Wednesday denying an anonymously sourced claim on a conservative website that she and Lewandowski had an extramarital affair.

“These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie,” Noem said in a tweet. “These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can’t achieve anything without a man’s help.”

Lewandowski declined to comment.

David Chesnoff, a Las Vegas-based attorney for Lewandowski, said in an email Wednesday afternoon, “Accusations and rumors appear to be morphing by the minute and we will not dignify them with a further response.”

[South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem dismisses conservative website’s claims of extramarital affair with former Trump adviser]

The decision by Trump and Noem to distance themselves from Lewandowski follows claims from Trashelle Odom, the wife of a donor to Trump’s super PAC, that Lewandowski behaved inappropriately at the Sunday dinner for the Victoria’s Voice charity, which supports efforts to fight youth drug addiction.

“He repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful,” Odom said in a statement provided to The Washington Post.

Odom said Lewandowski bragged about how powerful he is and claimed he controlled access to Trump and can get anyone elected.

An attorney for Odom said in a statement that during the dinner, in a private room at a Benihana restaurant, Lewandowski was seated next to Odom, tried to hold her hand, touched her leg multiple times and touched her back. The attorney said that Odom rebuffed all those advances, and that Lewandowski later threw a drink at her that hit her shoe and the bottom of her dress.

After the meal, according to the attorney, Odom approached Noem to introduce her to family members.

“Gov. Noem stated that during dinner, she texted Corey to stop touching [Mrs. Odom],” the attorney wrote in a statement. “This was confusing for Mrs. Odom’s sister and stepson.”

A person familiar with the governor’s recollection, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to recount private conversations, said Noem did not text Lewandowski during the dinner, and the governor did not tell Odom that she had told Lewandowski to stop his behavior.

Source: WP