Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson on Thursday downplayed misdemeanor battery charges filed last month against Donald Trump’s campaign manager, saying during an interview on CNN that “a lot of people have been charged with various things.”
Carson, who endorsed Trump for president shortly after quitting his own campaign, also created an awkward TV moment when he asserted that most people, including CNN anchor John Berman, have been charged with misdemeanor crimes in the past.
“I actually haven’t as far as I know,” Berman responded.
Carson was asked about the inner workings of the Trump campaign and whether campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is still running the show. Some reports claim that Lewandowski has seen his role on the campaign diminished since becoming the center of several recent controversies.
One of those involved a March 8 incident in which Lewandowski grabbed the arm of then-Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields as she was attempting to ask Trump a question. Lewandowski and Trump denied that Fields was grabbed. The reporter, who previously worked for The Daily Caller, posted a picture two days after the incident showing bruises on her arm. She later filed a complaint with the Jupiter, Fla. police department. Video also emerged showing Lewandowski grabbing Fields.
Lewandowski was charged with simple misdemeanor battery. Trump has since downplayed the incident, asserting that he could file charges against Fields because she touched him during the press scrum.
Carson also defended Lewandowski.
“Do you think he should still be running the show after the controversy he has found himself in?” Carson was asked of the campaign manager on Thursday.
“I don’t see any reason, quite frankly, that we should demonize him,” Carson responded. “If you can come up with a good reason, I’ll listen to it.”
“He’s been charged with misdemeanor assault in Florida. A lot of people think that is a reason,” Berman said, incorrectly stating the charged filed against Lewandowski.
“Well, I mean, a lot of people have been charged with various things,” Carson said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that we need to demonize them.”
“You’ve probably been charged with something too, maybe with a misdemeanor or something. It doesn’t mean that you’re an evil, horrible person,” he continued.
That’s when Berman said that he has never been charged with a crime.
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