A group of sixteen female journalists issued an open letter Wednesday calling for the firing of Corey Lewandowski, the Donald Trump campaign manager charged with battery after allegedly grabbing a female reporter at a Trump event this month.
"The press is to have an adversarial, yet civil approach to those in, or running, for elected office," the statement reads. "Never in this line of work is it acceptable to respond to reasonable and legitimate questioning with use of physical force."
The journalists who signed the letter are largely, if not universally, conservative, including CNN contributor S.E. Cupp as well as Meghan McCain, the daughter of John McCain.
According to a report filed by police in Jupiter, Fla., Lewandowski grabbed former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields by the arm at an event there and pulled her back as she tried to interview Trump.
Immediately after the event in early March, Lewandowski claimed he "never touched" Fields, calling her "delusional."
A video later surfaced showing Lewandowski did grab Fields, which she said caused bruises to form on her arm.
"How do you know those bruises weren’t there before?” Trump later said.
In the open letter released Sunday, the sixteen signees reference photographs, audio and video that documented Lewandowski's physical force used against Fields
The letter noted the Trump's campaign has insisted Lewandowski won't be fired, but added: "We believe in making a statement on the record to clearly highlight the difference between right and wrong."
Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner
