Trump Campaign Caught Blaming Shirt-Yanking Incident on a Member of Their Own Staff

Donald Trump has been defending allegations against his own campaign manager’s behavior at a recent rally, all the while piling heaps of blame on one, unidentified man in a “dark pullover.” That man, as it turns out, is also on the Trump payroll, and will also not be facing discipline for manhandling a protestor.

Politico reported on Sunday that the Trump campaign acknowledged the man’s identity, though it had failed to do so the day before when asked about an altercation that appeared to involve campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

After journalists identified the man that the Trump campaign blamed the incident on as a security staffer, Politico confronted the campaign to ask why their first statement didn’t mention that considerably relevant fact:

When POLITICO on Sunday asked Hicks why she did not identify the man as a member of Trump’s security detail, she explained: “Although we did not identify this individual, we did not make any suggestion as to his affiliation or lack thereof.”

Hicks also deferred much of the blame to protesters, saying they were holding signs displaying profanities and that that kind of language is not acceptable for the families and television cameras in attendance.”

No word yet from the Trump campaign about whether that kind of violent behavior is acceptable for the families and television cameras in attendance.