Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s Campaign Manager, Sees Charge Dropped In Michelle Fields Battery Case

UPDATE: 2:43 p.m. EDT -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign issued a brief statement following the announcement Thursday that Florida prosecutors have declined to move forward with criminal charges against his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski.

While the statement indicates in part that "The matter is now concluded," it remains to be seen whether Lewandowski will file a defamation of character suit against the journalist who accused him of assaulting her during a Trump rally last month in Jupiter, Florida.

Original story:

Corey Lewandowski will not be prosecuted, after all.

Florida chief assistant state attorney Adrienne Ellis announced Thursday that the office would drop a Jupiter police department’s misdemeanor battery charge against Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, after he was accused of forcefully grabbing ex-Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields at a speech last month.

“Law enforcement arrests are based upon probable cause,” Ellis wrote in a letter explaining the decision. “While the facts support the allegation that Mr. Lewandowski did grab Ms. Fields’ arm against her will, Mr. Lewandowski has a reasonable hypothesis of innocence.”

The attorney’s office concluded that Lewandowski did pull back Fields while she was attempting to talk to Trump after a March 8 news conference. But it also found that move was a reaction to Fields trying to touch Trump. Lewandowski, it said, was trying to protect Trump in a way similar to those used by Secret Service agents.

Fields tweeted Wednesday night after the news leaked that the prosecutors had asked her whether she’d accept a public apology from Lewandowski, but never responded after she said “yes.” USA Today reported Fields was still weighing filing a defamation suit against Lewandowski for saying she lied about the incident.

Trump has said he won’t fire Lewandowski because the candidate doesn’t “want to ruin [Lewandowski’s] life,” according to CNN.