PIERRE, S.D. – After cutting ties last September with controversial political advisor Corey Lewandowski, a news outlet is reporting the Trump operative is back working with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
Governor Noem supposedly broke ties with Lewandowski after he was accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward a GOP donor at a political event in Las Vegas last year, which Noem was present for.
Following the incident, Noem’s spokesman Ian Fury said Lewandowski, “will not be advising the Governor in regard to the campaign or official office.”
In the story by the Associated Press (AP) he added that Lewandowski’s role was as a “volunteer” and he was “never paid a dime” from Noem’s campaign or South Dakota government. Fury did not immediately respond to a question about whether Noem saw any of Lewandowski’s behavior at a Las Vegas fundraising event, where he was accused of the harassment.
While reporting on the story in September, a former top aide to Noem, Maggie Seidel, said in a statement to the AP that she thought it would be “outrageous for her to continue to associate with Corey Lewandowski.”
In the AP release from September, Trashelle Odom alleges Lewandowski repeatedly touched her without her permission, made lewd comments and “stalked” her throughout the evening.
“He repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful,” she said in a statement to the outlet. “I am coming forward because he needs to be held accountable.” Trashelle Odom is the wife of Idaho construction executive John Odom.
Now reports are surfacing that Governor Noem has resumed ties with Lewandowski after they were seen together at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Nashville this week, according to Politico reporter Daniel Lippman.
Lippman also reported that the two had been seen at a political function in California recently. Lippman’s sources told him that Lewandowski had been functioning in an advisor capacity to Noem at these political functions.
Beyond California and Tennessee, the two had been spotted together in a number of other states over the last several weeks, including Texas, Nebraska, and Washington.
In 2016, the former Trump campaign manager briefly faced battery charges for yanking a journalist down at a Trump campaign event. That charge would eventually be dropped.
In 2017, Lewandowski was also accused of touching a female Trump surrogate inappropriately.
Noem has also vehemently denied allegations of an affair with Lewandowski last September.
Political analysts say Lewandowski, who remains close with many in former President Trump’s orbit, has helped open doors for Noem on the national stage.
Neither Noem’s campaign nor office responded to a request from other media for comment on the matter. Noem is scheduled to speak at the national National Rifle Association conference in Houston on Friday.
