Corey Lewandowski, 48, asked Donald Trump 's team to pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for his resignation, two s...
Corey Lewandowski, 48, asked Donald Trump's team to pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for his resignation, two sources familiar with the matter said according to a Thursday report.
Initially, Lewandowski wouldn't leave the team and instead denied the sexual misconduct allegations that ultimately led to his ousting.
After those attempts proved futile, the former 2016 Trump campaign manager demanded money from Trump to make him go away, three people with knowledge of the matter told The Daily Beast.
'It doesn't matter if he'd asked for five dollars, it wasn't going to happen,' an individual familiar with the situation added.
Lewandowski didn't appear to have the leverage he thought he did as leader of the super PAC that currently holds $6.58 million from mostly Trump megadonors. MAGA Action colleagues immediately abandoned Lewandowski, giving him a hard no when he demanded a pay out in exchange for his resignation.
Within days of Lewandowski being fired, MAGA Action spun up a new super PAC name – rebranding to Make America Great Again, Again!, which was declared in a Monday statement 'the ONLY Trump-approved super PAC.'
Corey Lewandowski asked for a six-figure payout in exchange for his resignation from the MAGA Action super PAC - but was not granted his request and instead fired
The ousting came after Trashelle Odom, a Trump donor married to construction exec John Odom, alleged Lewandowski touched her butt and 'stalked' her at a charity event in Las Vegas in September
Former President Trump announced last week the exile of Lewandowski from heading his Make America Great Again Action super PAC hours after sexual misconduct allegations came out against him.
Trashelle Odom, the wife of construction company executive John Odom, claimed that the married father of four touched her repeatedly while seated next to her, followed her around, touched her leg and buttocks, and 'stalked' her at a charity event held at a Las Vegas Benihana in September.
The allegations came at the same time rumors emerged that married South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was having an affair with Lewandowski.
Noem, 49, dismissed them as 'total garbage' and a 'disgusting lie' rooted in sexism. However, she still severed ties with the former Trump aide.
'Pam Bondi, the very talented and honorable frmr AG of FL, has our complete faith and confidence in taking over MAGA Action. Corey Lewandowski will be going on to other endeavors and we very much want to thank him for his service,' spokesman Taylor Budowich wrote in a statement posted to Twitter.
Trump, according to two sources familiar with the situation, was keen on Lewandowski walking away empty handed, as the former president didn't want the former aide to take any of the money from the super PAC.
The sources claim that Trump sees the super PAC funds as his money.
After the sexual assault allegations from a donor came out last month, the Odoms reportedly asked MAGA Action to refund their $100,000 if they did not cut ties with Lewandowski.
The allegations against Lewandowski came at the same time rumors emerged that married South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was having an affair with him. Noem dismissed them as 'total garbage' but still severed ties with the former Trump aide
Lewandowski was fired by Trump before from his post as campaign manager in 2016. This ousting also was also prompted by allegations of sexual assault.
In that firing, however, Lewandowski was given a massive $20,000 per month severance, which over a 14-month period netted him nearly $500,000. It appears Lewandowski was trying to again capitalize off of his ousting from Trump world.
After being fired in 2016, Lewandowski rejected a job Trump offered him in the administration in 2017, claiming it was 'beneath him,' according to The Daily Beast. Three years later, in the final weeks of Trump's presidency, he was appointed to a Pentagon advisory board, but the appointment was blocked by President Joe Biden in early February 2021.
Before Odom's allegations became public, sources close to Trump began urging him to ditch the controversial figure.
DailyMail.com learned that Odom told police she feared for her safety when Lewandowski 'told her he stabbed a man in the back of the head and killed him,' at a Las Vegas fundraiser where he 'stalked' and repeatedly touched her.
Odom claimed that on the night of a charity dinner at the Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas on September 26, she was frightened when Lewandowski allegedly told her: 'When I was 10, I stabbed someone over and over again, killing him.
The married Trump donor was personally invited to the dinner with Noem by American socialite Jackie Siegel.
'I initially believed that he was joking and attempted to laugh it off,' Odom noted but the statements came after Lewandowski had already made unwanted sexual advances towards her.
'Lewandowski proceeded to come on to me aggressively by first stating that, he works out twice a day, that he runs 400miles a week, and that's why he can last for eight hours at a time in bed,' Odom claimed Lewandowski said to her, according to the police statement.
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