Source: Politics<\/p>\n
A Donald Trump donor is accusing Corey Lewandowski, one of the former president\u2019s longtime top aides, of making unwanted sexual advances toward her at a Las Vegas charity event over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Trashelle Odom, the wife of Idaho construction executive John Odom, alleges that Lewandowski repeatedly touched her, including on her leg and buttocks, and spoke to her in sexually graphic terms. Odom said that Lewandowski \u201cstalked\u201d her throughout the evening.<\/p>\n
Four people who were first-hand witnesses at the event corroborated Odom\u2019s allegations. POLITICO also spoke with two people \u2014 one who was at the event and another who was not \u2014 who described conversations they had with Odom about the incidents immediately after they happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the evening of September 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, I attended a dinner to support a charity and spend time with wonderful friends,\u201d Odom said in a statement to POLITICO. \u201cHe repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful,\u201d she said, referring to Lewandowski.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am coming forward because he needs to be held accountable,\u201d Odom continued. \u201cI am blessed to have a loving husband and family behind me. I want other women to know that you can be heard, too, and together we can stop terrible things like this from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Chesnoff, a Las Vegas attorney representing Lewandowski, did not directly address the allegations. \u201cAccusations and rumors appear to be morphing by the minute and we will not dignify them with a further response,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lewandowski, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, has positioned himself as one of Trump\u2019s closest and most loyal advisers \u2014 a role he has leveraged to gain access to top Republican donors and claim influence over the direction of the Republican Party. He was Trump\u2019s first presidential campaign manager in 2016, advised him during the presidency and now is part of the circle of aides advising the former president. His duties now include steering a pro-Trump super PAC.<\/p>\n
Odom was one of about two dozen major Republican donors at the Sunday dinner, which was held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino\u2019s Benihana restaurant. Odom was seated next to Lewandowski during the gathering, part of a four-day conference held by Victoria\u2019s Voice Foundation, a charity devoted to combating substance abuse. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, to whom Lewandowski serves as an informal adviser, was also among the dinner\u2019s attendees.<\/p>\n
According to a statement provided by an Odom family attorney, Lewandowski allegedly remarked on the size of his genitalia, described his sexual performance and showed Odom his hotel room key. After the incident, Odom told people that Lewandowski repeatedly spoke about sex while using expletives.<\/p>\n
Attendees also observed Lewandowski growing physical with Odom.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Odom stated that over the course of the dinner, Mr. Lewandowski tried to hold her hand, and she pushed his hand away. He touched her leg, and she moved it away. He grabbed her napkin off her lap and tried to touch her leg again, and she pulled her dress over her leg, to move his hand away and cover her skin,\u201d Odom\u2019s attorney wrote in the statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe touched her back and she tried to get away,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cHe described an area where he was sore from a workout, on the side of his butt, but he demonstrated this by touching her there\u2014on the upper side of her rear end. Lewandowski tried to touch her approximately 10 times, and Mrs. Odom always rebuffed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Odom left the room but was soon followed by Lewandowski, who remarked that she had a \u201cnice ass,\u201d according to the statement from her attorney and another attendee who heard the comment. Lewandowski also \u201cthrew his drink at Mrs. Odom, and it landed all over her shoe and the bottom of her dress,\u201d and \u201ccalled her stupid,\u201d her attorney stated.<\/p>\n
One event attendee who spoke with POLITICO said that Odom gave a detailed retelling of the incidents afterward, describing how she grew fearful for her personal safety as Lewandowski described incidents of violence that took place earlier in his life. <\/p>\n
Odom and her husband are relative newcomers to the Republican donor scene, and she told the attendee that she felt intimidated by Lewandowski\u2019s claims that he has control over the former president\u2019s orbit and can determine the fate of those around Trump.<\/p>\n
Lewandowski said no candidate receives the president\u2019s endorsement without Lewandowski\u2019s approval, Odom told the attendee.<\/p>\n
In the statement from Odom\u2019s attorney, Lewandowski is alleged to have said \u201crepeatedly that he is very powerful and can destroy anyone,\u201d and that he \u201cis close with President Trump and can get anyone elected or can take anyone out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorey was verbally and physically aggressive and forceful,\u201d Odom alleged in a statement. \u201cI was fearful for my physical safety.\u201d She continued: “I was also fearful that Corey has the power to destroy and ruin everything my husband and I have been working on in our business, personal and charitable endeavors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two of the people present for the dinner described Odom as appearing uncomfortable, and three attendees said Lewandowski appeared to be intoxicated. Photos of the dinner reviewed by POLITICO show Odom posing for selfies with attendees. Several photos showed Lewandowski just above her right shoulder, with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. <\/p>\n
Odom then left the restaurant for an after-dinner party in the hotel\u2019s lavish Verona Sky Villa, where witnesses described a chaotic scene. One person who interacted with Odom recalled seeing her in tears and pleading for help. By this time, she had been joined by her sister and stepson, who had accompanied her to Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
Attendees said Odom retreated to the other side of the bar with her sister and stepson when Lewandowski came to the villa. Lewandowski followed her, at which point several other attendees tried to shield Odom from him, shepherding her to another part of the bar, according to three people who were present. According to Odom\u2019s attorney, \u201cCorey then moved around the bar with them\u201d and continued \u201cto try to touch Mrs. Odom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attendees said Odom and Lewandowski left the party separately. Odom told one person and later recounted to the family lawyer that she had feared for her physical safety staying at the hotel that evening, because her room was located next to Lewandowski\u2019s. She also told those people she timed her departure the next day to ensure she did not cross paths with him.<\/p>\n
It is not the first time Lewandowski has been accused of unwanted touching. In late 2017, singer Joy Villa filed a police report alleging the former Trump campaign manager slapped her buttocks<\/a> during a holiday party at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n