Trump donor files report to police alleging unwanted sexual advances from Corey Lewandowski
She added that it “was as if he thought he had a sense of ownership over me, from the start.”
Matthew K. Taylor, an attorney representing Odom and her family, sent Odom’s statement to the Boise Police Department in Idaho, where Odom lives, so that her local police department could forward it to the police department in Las Vegas, where the incident took place. Taylor wrote in the letter that Odom was sending the statement “for purposes of prosecution.”
Lewandowski’s Las Vegas-based attorney, David Chesnoff, who has a long history representing high-profile clients including socialite Paris Hilton and boxer Mike Tyson, said in a statement: “It’s premature to respond to something that hasn’t been filed up until now and that we haven’t seen and we will respond if appropriate.”
The report to police is the latest turning point in an incident that has sent shockwaves through the circle surrounding Trump. A spokesperson for the former president announced late Wednesday that Trump was cutting ties with Lewandowski, one of his longest-serving advisers and his first campaign manager. That included removing Lewandowski from his role running the primary pro-Trump super PAC.
Other Republican politicians advised by Lewandowski have also separated themselves from him. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster, both of whom were at the Las Vegas dinner, said Thursday that he would no longer be part of their teams.
Odom was one of around two dozen major Republican Party donors at the Sept. 26 dinner, which was held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino’s Benihana restaurant. The dinner was hosted by the Victoria’s Voice Foundation, a substance abuse charity.
In the three-page statement, which was sent on Friday, Odom alleged that Lewandowski touched her on her leg and buttocks and estimated that she rebuffed his physical advances 10 times. She accused Lewandowski of following her after she left the dinner, remarking that she had a “nice ass” and throwing a drink at her. She went on to allege that the 48-year-old Lewandowski, who is married, pursued her at a post-dinner reception, forcing her to seek out the protection of other attendees.
Odom described returning to her hotel suite afraid because Lewandowski’s room was immediately next to hers, and she said that she timed her departure the next day to ensure she did not cross paths with him.
“I went into my room crying and trembling as I did not know if I had just ruined everything that my family had worked so hard to grow,” Odom said in the statement.
It is not the first time Lewandowski has faced accusations of unwanted sexual advances. In 2017, singer Joy Villa filed a police report alleging that Lewandowski slapped her buttocks during a holiday party at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Lewandowski was also charged with battery in 2016 after pulling on the arm of a reporter at a Trump event. The charges were later dropped, but Lewandowski claimed the incident involving reporter Michelle Fields never happened. Video later emerged confirming that it did. Despite those incidents, he was an outside adviser to Trump during his administration and got the role running Trump’s super PAC earlier this year.
In a statement, John Odom, Trashelle Odom’s husband, expressed support for Trump and praised him for “taking swift and decisive action” against Lewandowski earlier this week.
“We believe in law enforcement, and are hopeful that the police and prosecutors will use this information to pursue justice,” John Odom continued. “For all others with information regarding this man’s violent, harassing, and traumatizing behavior, we encourage you to speak up. Accountability is sorely needed.”
