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Lewandowski Stopped From Joining Trump at Inauguration

Ex-aide identifies himself as ‘Mr. Trump’s campaign manager’ when stopped by police

Corey Lewandowski on the phone outside the Capitol Crypt after he was denied entry by police. (Alex Gangitano/ CQ Roll Call)
Corey Lewandowski on the phone outside the Capitol Crypt after he was denied entry by police. (Alex Gangitano/ CQ Roll Call)
By Alex Gangitano
Posted January 20, 2017 at 1:19pm

President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was stopped from joining the party on the inauguration platform on Friday because he didn’t have the right pass.

Minutes before President Barack Obama and Trump made their way through the Capitol Crypt, Lewandowski was stopped by Capitol Police as he tried to make his way through.

“Please have somebody bring me that ticket,” he said on the phone. “I just can’t get past. I’m literally standing at the– I can see, like, the members of what is probably the Cabinet. I can see the people walking onto, like, in the camera shot.”

He continued, “I’m standing right outside the Rotunda on the Senate side, I can see the procession.”

Lewandowski was surrounded by a stakeout of reporters and staff waiting to watch the outgoing and incoming presidents and their families.

Capitol Police asked Lewandowski if he was a member of “staff,” to which he responded, “I’m Mr. Trump’s campaign manager.”

Lewandowski was Trump’s campaign manager from January 2015 until June 2016, when he was let go in a Trump staff shakeup.

The onetime CNN commentator pulled out four badges for police, none of which could get him through.

[Lewandowski No Longer a Good Fit for Trump]

Minutes later, Obama and members of the congressional Democratic leadership walked through, soon followed by Trump and members of the GOP leadership.

By that time, Lewandowski was gone. He eventually made it outside, according to his tweet from Friday afternoon.

In 1999, when he was Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney’s chief of staff, Lewandowski had another run-in with Capitol police when he tried to carry a bag of laundry to work with a handgun at the bottom.   

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