TEAM TRUMP: We're keeping embattled aide despite police allegation

Donald Trump tweeted a response to his campaign manager being charged with misdemeanor battery on Tuesday, defending the "very decent" Corey Lewandowski and questioning a reporter who accused him of manhandling her.

The Republican presidential frontrunner said on Twitter that "nothing" was on security footage that seemed to show Lewandowski yanking a reporter backward away from Trump.

"Wow, Corey Lewandowski, my campaign manager and a very decent man, was just charged with assaulting a reporter," Trump tweeted. "Look at tapes-nothing there!"

He then implied that the reporter, Michelle Fields, was being dishonest about what happened.

"Why aren't people looking at this reporters earliest statement as to what happened, that is before she found out the episode was on tape?" Trump tweeted.

But Fields wrote back that her story had been consistent:

The charge against Lewandowski came in relation to an incident at a Trump campaign event earlier this month in which he was accused of manhandling Fields, who worked for Breitbart until she quit over the incident.. Lewandowski turned himself in to Jupiter police, The Palm Beach Post reported. He is due in court on May 4, according to CNN.

The Trump campaign released a statement in response to the charge:

Mr. Lewandowski was issued a Notice to Appear and given a court date. He was not arrested. Mr. Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge. He will enter a plea of not guilty and looks forward to his day in court. He is completely confident that he will be exonerated.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said on CNN Tuesday that the campaign has "total confidence" in Lewandowski and that he will stay on as Trump's campaign manager.

Lewandowski previously called Fields "totally delusional," saying that he had never touched or met the reporter after she tweeted an image that appeared to show bruises resulting from the encounter. Pierson said on CNN that Lewandowski doesn't know who Fields is, noting that the video didn't show whether he and Fields made eye contact.

Pierson said Fields accused Lewandowski of grabbing her "aggressively."

"That did not happen, it's not on the video, and Mr. Lewandowski will be cleared of all charges," Pierson said, adding that it's not uncommon to be "jostled" or moved around by staffers on the campaign trail.

Marc Bujnowski, of the Jupiter police, had sought out the security footage to corroborate Fields' account.

"Lewandowski then grabbed Fields [sic] left arm with his right hand, causing her to turn and step back," Bujnowski wrote in the police report. "Based on the above-described investigation, probable cause exists to cause Corey Lewandowski ... with (1) count of Simple Battery ... in that he did intentionally touch Michelle Fields ... against [her will]."

Here's video of the encounter: