New York: Incoming US President Donald Trump has reportedly rehired former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, four months after sacking him amid a scandal involving claims he manhandled a female reporter.
Lewandowski, resigned on Friday from his role as a CNN political commentator, ending a television deal that had attracted scrutiny and harsh criticism about the cable channel's journalistic ethics.
![Corey Lewandowski, then campaign manager for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, in April.](/web/20161116004148im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/n/s/s/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsnv2r.png/1478923029316.jpg)
Lewandowski, who joined CNN as a paid contributor days after being fired by Trump in June, has expressed interest in a senior adviser role in the White House, according to a person briefed on discussions within the Trump transition team. CNN reported soon after that he had departed to take on an undisclosed position ith Trump's team.
The former campaign manager's name has also been mentioned as a potential chairman of the Republican National Committee, this person said. Lewandowski has been frequently spotted this week at Trump Tower in Manhattan, chatting with senior aides and attending meetings.
The news comes as Trump's transition tem begins to take shape. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been replaced as head of the transition by incoming Vice President Mike Pence. Three of Trump's adult children, and his son in law Jared Kushner have also been added to his transition team.
Even as he defended Trump in front of millions of viewers on CNN talk shows, Lewandowski stayed in regular contact with the candidate and flew on the Trump campaign jet. He also received tens of thousands of dollars in severance from the Trump campaign, payments that were set to continue through to the end of the year.
The arrangement raised concerns about whether CNN was effectively paying a Trump campaign strategist to spin its viewers. Other networks, including MSNBC, regularly invite campaign representatives onto shows but do not pay them.
CNN and its president, Jeffrey Zucker, steadfastly defended Lewandowski's hiring, saying that the network wanted to regularly provide viewers with on-air voices representing both candidates.
![Donald Trump, right, with Corey Lewandowski in Dubuque, Iowa in August.](/web/20161116004148im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/j/e/x/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsnv2r.png/1478923029316.jpg)
But CNN's critics saw in Lewandowski another sign of television news accommodating a candidate who was a ratings magnet. Because of a nondisclosure agreement, Lewandowski was limited in what he could discuss about Trump on the air.
As recently as two weeks ago, Lewandowski travelled aboard the Trump campaign plane to his home state of New Hampshire. Onboard, Lewandowski discussed strategy with Trump and his top advisers, including Stephen Bannon, his campaign chief executive.
![On the campaign trail: Corey Lewandowski listens at left as Trump speaks. He was fired in June.](/web/20161116004148im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/3/9/l/n/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsnv2r.png/1478923029316.jpg)
After the flight was reported in The New York Times, a spokeswoman for CNN, Allison Gollust, said Lewandowski's status at the network remained unchanged.
"We were aware of his trip and granted our permission," Gollust wrote in an email this week.
Lewandowski, who last appeared on CNN on Wednesday morning, did not respond to a request for comment. On Friday, he was seen arriving at Trump Tower.
New York Times, Fairfax Media
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