Corey Lewandowski, President Trump’s former campaign manager and current unofficial advisor, is refusing to apologize for mocking a young girl with Down syndrome, who was reportedly separated from her mother when crossing the U.S. border.
Lewandowski made the insensitive remark during an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday. Zac Petkanas, former senior Democratic National Committee adviser, was in the middle of telling a story about a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome who was taken from her mother and put in a cage, when Lewandowski interrupted by saying, “womp, womp.”
Outrage ensued, and not just from Democrats. Meghan McCain and other conservatives condemned Lewandwoski for his actions.
This is so horrible, even by Lewandowski standards. https://t.co/4SNBUtCgfu
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) June 20, 2018
Lewandowski saw things differently, though. According to him, he was actually mocking Petkanas.
Lots of Fake News today. I mocked a liberal who attempted to politicize children as opposed to discussing the real issue which is fixing a broken immigration system. It’s offenseive that the MSM doesn’t want to talk about the fact these policies were started under Obama.
— Corey R. Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) June 20, 2018
Then, when he was asked about the situation on Fox News Wednesday morning, Lewandowski refused to apologize.
“An apology? I owe an apology to the children whose parents are putting them in a position that is forcing them to be separated,” he said. “We owe an apology to Jamiel Shaw and Brian Terry and Kate Steinle’s family who have allowed those individuals to be killed by illegal aliens.”
Lewandowski continued, “The American people owe an apology to those people. When you cross the border illegally, you have committed a crime and there is accountability for committing crimes and there should be.”
The situation came in the middle of continued outrage over the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy, which has caused the separation of at least 2,000 children from their parents.