In a suit filed last night, a Trump Campaign staffer has sued the Trump Campaign, alleging that the Campaign’s North Carolina State Chairman, Earl Phillip, pulled a gun on Bordini and jammed it into his knee. The suit alleges assault and battery against the Trump Campaign and Phillip, and requests both compensatory and punitive damages. This morning, Phillip resigned from the campaign.
The staffer, Vincent Bordini, alleged that in February 2016, he was riding in the passenger seat of Phillip’s Jeep when Phillip pulled a loaded 45 caliber pistol, and pushed the barrel into Bordini’s knee with Phillip’s hand on the trigger, the safety off, and the car in motion. After the initial shock, Bordini asked Phillip “what the f**k are you doing,” and Phillip put the gun away. The Complaint alleges that Bordini promptly reported the incident to various officials in the Campaign, including the Campaign’s Regional Director for Western North Carolina, who responded that yes, he too had been menaced by Phillip with a gun.
Bordini claims he next reported it to Stuart Jolly, the Trump Campaign’s National Field Director, and then to Campaign Manager Cory Lewandowski, but that again, nothing happened. The Complaint alleges that Bordini went so far as to move his wife and two children out of their home to a friend’s house in an undisclosed location while Bordini kept working at the Campaign, head down, awaiting official Campaign action. At least two additional staffers told Bordini that they had been menaced by Phillip.
After waiting for action that never came, Bordini filed the lawsuit alleging assault, battery, and other theories of recovery. The suit is filed in North Carolina state court in Mecklenburg County (Charlotte, NC). The reaction was swift — the suit was filed at 4:45 p.m. last night, and Phillip had resigned by this morning. The complaint is here: ftpcontent4.worldnow.com/… And the report of Phillip resigning is here: www.nydailynews.com/...
Those are the facts. Here is my take:
First, I hope Bordini’s lawyers are smart enough to name Trump in his individual capacity as a defendant, or to seek emergency relief, because at some point, the Campaign coffers will be cleaned out, most likely when the Campaign pays back the loans (surely now over $50 million) that Trump the Individual advanced to the Trump Campaign.
Second, if the allegations are true, the Campaign is more culpable than the probably-insane Phillip. The cover-up is most often worse than the underlying offense.
Third, and of most importance here, an atmosphere of violence begets violence; think Rabin, Dr. King, John and Robert Kennedy, and George Wallace. There has never been an atmosphere for violence like the Trump Campaign’s in an American presidential campaign since at least 1860. This is on Trump, the candidate, for creating that atmosphere. Calls to violence, like Trump’s comment suggesting assassination of Clinton or the judges she appoints, are extremely reckless and dangerous, as nuts (like Phillip or worse) may hear this as permission to assassinate. This is not merely “a joke gone bad” as Paul Ryan passes it off, but a call to mortal violence, and anyone thinking otherwise does not have the judgment to occupy high office.
Fourth, CNN, are you going to promptly investigate and, if the allegations are true, publicly eject Lewandowski from his chair at your broadcasts? it would be a nice gesture, a vote for non-violence in politics.