In his new post as a CNN political commentator, one-time Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski argued Tuesday that there is no way Trump's controversial star tweet is anti-Semitic because both Trump and his social media director Dan Scavino have "Jewish friends." "You're spending more time on a star created by an individual who has Jewish friends, who's close friends with Ivanka Trump, who's close friends with Jared Kushner, who are both Jewish, who have been part of the Trump family organization for over 10 years, and all of a sudden he is being accused of something which didn't happen," Lewandowski said on CNN's New Day.
The tweet in question, which has since been deleted, featured Hillary Clinton alongside what appeared to be a Star of David with the words "Most corrupt candidate ever" written inside of it. Trump has said the six-pointed star could just be a "Sheriff's star, or plain star" and Scavino has clarified that the image was "lifted from an anti-Hillary" Twitter account.
Lewandowski said that these defenses, along with Scavino's friendships, indicate there isn't "any malice there." "Why don't you give him credit to say that he simply took an image and put it on there and there's no anti-Semitism?," Lewandowski said of Scavino.
Watch Lewandowski's full defense of the tweet, below. Becca Stanek