‪‪Donald Trump‬, ‪Corey Lewandowski‬, ‪Joy Villa‬‬

Singer files sex assault complaint against former Trump aide

WASHINGTON — A singer and potential congressional candidate says she has filed a sexual assault complaint against President Donald Trump's former campaign manager for hitting her twice on her buttocks during a Washington gathering in November.

Joy Villa, a Trump backer who wore a "Make America Great Again" dress at the Grammys this year, said Tuesday she plans to meet with detectives in Washington next week about the complaint against Corey Lewandowski.

In a phone interview from Tampa, Florida, Villa said she was initially reluctant to come forward because she was worried about any backlash. But she said she called Washington's Metropolitan Police Department on Christmas Eve after a friend who witnessed the incident spoke about it publicly, and other friends urged her to come forward.

"I didn't know him at all," Villa said about Lewandowski. "I only knew him by reputation. He broke my trust."

She said she saw him at a gathering at the Trump International Hotel on the day after Thanksgiving, and said Lewandowski struck her "extremely hard" even after she told him to stop. She said she felt it was "disgusting and shocking and demeaning."

Villa, who is considering a run for a Florida congressional seat, said she initially thought it was sexual harassment, but police told her that touching someone on any body part that is sexual in nature constituted sexual assault. She said she was told it was classified as a misdemeanor.