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Speaker's bureau dumps Lewandowski after he mocks migrant with Down syndrome

Leading Authorities Inc., a Washington, D.C., firm that specializes in landing political figures speaking gigs, dropped Lewandowski as a client Wednesday because of his remark.
Credit: RYAN MCBRIDE/AFP/Getty Images
Former Donald Trump Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski attends a rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, October 28, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski suffered some financial fallout for appearing to snidely dismiss a migrant girl with Down syndrome during an appearance on Fox News.

Leading Authorities Inc., a Washington, D.C., firm that specializes in landing political figures speaking gigs, dropped Lewandowski as a client Wednesday because of his remark, according to a report from CNN.

On Tuesday, Lewandowski went on Fox News and took part in a discussion on the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy.

"Womp, womp," Lewandowski said as fellow panelist Zac Petkanas, a Democratic strategist, related a story he'd read about a 10-year-old migrant girl who had been separated from her mother by immigration officials.

"Did you say 'womp, womp' to a 10-year-old with Down syndrome being separated from her mother?" a shocked Petkanas asked. "How dare you."

"What I said is you can pick anything you want to, but the bottom line is very clear: when you cross the border illegally you have given up the rights of that country," Lewandowski said. "When you cross the border illegally, when you commit a crime, you are taken away from your family because that's how this country works."

The next day, Lewandowski said he did not feel he owed anyone an apology for his comment.

"An apology?" he asked on Fox News Wednesday. "I owe an apology to the children whose parents are putting them in a position that is forcing them to be separated?"

Lewandowski appeared on CNN Thursday night and told host Chris Cuomo, "Of course I never meant to insult anyone with Down syndrome." Lewandowski explained that his comment was directed at Petkanas, not the little girl.

"I understand what the perception is here and what the media wants to talk about," he said. "But what Zac was attempting to do was to use a child with Down syndrome to politicize an issue."

A profile of Lewandowski that was taken down from LAI's website billed him as "bold and unapologetically aggressive" and a speaker who "takes audiences behind the scenes of the Trump campaign to showcase how it has been singularly successful in tapping into shifting public opinion to devise a winning campaign strategy from the ground up."

A speaker can net five- or even six-figure checks on a job for LAI, according to its website.

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