Singer Joy Villa has reportedly filed a sexual assault complaint against President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager.
Villa, who wore a “Make America Great Again” dress at the Grammys this year (17), has accused Corey Lewandowski of hitting her twice on her buttocks during a Washington gathering in November.
According to editors at the Associated Press (AP), Villa said in a telephone interview on Tuesday (26Dec) that she saw him at a gathering at the Trump International Hotel on the day after Thanksgiving, and said Lewandowski struck her “extremely hard” even after she told him to stop. She said she felt it was “disgusting and shocking and demeaning”.
The singer was initially reluctant to come forward but called Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department on Christmas Eve after a friend who witnessed the incident spoke up about it publicly, and other friends urged her to file a complaint.
“I was initially fearful to come forward with this,” she said, adding that she did not want to embarrass either of their families.
“I did nothing wrong,” she added. “I realized if he’s not going to respond or apologize to me, I think it’s the right thing to do.”
The 44-year-old political operative served as Trump’s campaign manager from January 2015 to June 2016, when he was forced out and replaced by Paul Manafort, amid reports he had clashed with members of Trump’s family.
Villa, who is considering a run for a Florida congressional seat, told AP she plans to meet with detectives in Washington next week regarding the complaint against Lewandowski.
The former campaign manager did not respond to a request from news outlet for comment.
