"As state attorney I have made the decision that this office will not be filing charges against Corey Lewandowski for battery," Aronberg said at a news conference. 
 
 A former reporter for Breitbart, Michelle Fields, sought charges against Lewandowski after an incident in March where she said Lewandowski pulled her away from Trump as she was trying to ask him a question. 
 
 Aronberg said police were within their right to charge Lewandowski, but prosecutors are held to a higher standard and thus didn't find enough to bring the case. 
 
 He also revealed that Trump personally spoke with prosecutors and the campaign shared a draft of an apology letter with Aronberg's office "earlier this week," though it apparently has not yet been sent. 
 
 Lewandowski said Thursday night he was relieved the charges were dropped and he wanted to move on from the incident, which he called a "huge distraction" for the campaign. He said he was "thankful" for Trump's loyalty. 
 
 "What we saw was, you know you have an individual that remembers an incident very differently than the way I remember it. I don't remember it at all, candidly, and my entire interaction with her was on that videotape. I've never met her before, I've never spoken with her afterward," Lewandowski told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "So my sum total of that relationship with her was about three seconds long. I know that sounds like a long time, but in a three-second incident that I don't recall because it wasn't very memorable, this has really taken over a big piece of my life. I'm glad it's behind us." 
 
 The Trump campaign released a statement Thursday calling the matter closed. 
 
 "Corey Lewandowski is gratified by the decision to drop the misdemeanor charge and appreciates the thoughtful consideration and professionalism by the Palm Beach State Attorney and his staff who carefully reviewed this matter, as well as Mr. Trump's loyalty and the support of his colleagues and family during this time," the statement said. "The matter is now concluded." 
 
 Aronberg and his deputy who reviewed the case, Adrienne Ellis, said the video clearly shows Fields making contact with Trump's arm as she tries to interview him, him recoiling and shows Lewandowski grab her arm and pull her away. 
 
 After reviewing the evidence in the case, the state attorney said he doesn't feel there is enough evidence to pursue criminal charges. He explained that while police are required to meet a "probable cause" threshold to make an arrest, prosecutors must believe they have a chance to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the battery occurred and get a conviction. 
 
 "They acted well within their authority to investigate and make an independent charging decision. We agree that probable cause exists for the Jupiter Police Department to charge Mr. Lewandwoski in this case," Aronberg said. "Our standard is higher than probable cause. ... Although the facts support the allegation that Mr. Lewandowski did grab Ms. Fields' arm against her will, Mr. Lewandowski has a reasonable hypothesis of innocence" 
 
 The news is a sigh of relief for both Lewandowski and the Trump campaign, which risked facing a major legal distraction during the heat of the competitive presidential campaign. 
 
 "I think it's justifiable what he did," Lewandowski's attorney Brad Cohen told CNN's Brooke Baldwin. Aronberg said Lewandwoski may have been protecting Trump. 
 
 The incident at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on March 8, the night of the Michigan presidential primary, led to a weeks-long dispute between the Trump campaign, some media outlets and Fields, as to what actually happened. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Who is Corey Lewandowski? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Who is Corey Lewandowski? 02:38 
 
 Fields may still seek defamation charges against Lewandowski based on his efforts to dismiss her claims and cast doubt on her integrity, according to one source. 
 
 Cohen suggested on CNN that she may not want to: "I don't find it to be that good of an idea to file a defamation suit in this case because it just opens doors to your past and other things," he said. 
 
 In response to the reports the charges would be dropped, Fields tweeted: "Prosecutor's office told me they would inform me of decision tomorrow. If reports true, guess they decided to leak to reporters first. Ugly." 
 
 Prosecutor's office told me they would inform me of decision tomorrow. If reports true, guess they decided to leak to reporters first. Ugly. — Michelle Fields (@MichelleFields) April 14, 2016 
 
 Earlier this week, the state attorney's office tried to broker a deal in which Lewandowski would agree to publicly apologize to Fields instead of facing prosecution, one source with knowledge of the situation said. While Fields agreed to the offer, it's not yet clear that Lewandowski did. 
 
 Aronberg confirmed that the office would have appreciated an apology and that the draft of a "short" apology letter was shared with them, but said it did not factor into their decision making. 
 
 "The apology, in a case like this, obviously would be encouraged," Aronberg said. "We always appreciate when people take responsibility for their actions." 
 
 "Would he apologize for having any contact with her? Certainly he could but I don't know," Cohen said. 
 
 Fields added: "For those asking, office of prosecutor asked 2 weeks ago if I'd be ok with an apology from Corey. I said ya but haven't heard back about it." 
 
 For those asking, office of prosecutor asked 2 weeks ago if I'd be ok with an apology from Corey. I said ya but haven't heard back about it — Michelle Fields (@MichelleFields) April 14, 2016 
 
 Aronberg also denied that any political calculations went into his decision. He is a registered Democrat and has supported Hillary Clinton, but he also noted that he shared a bathroom at law school with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump's Republican opponent, and knew former candidate Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida. 
 
 "My political affiliation and my political leanings are very public, but they don't come inside this office," Aronberg said. "The sole bearing on our decision was the facts of this case and the law" 
 
 Trump has stood by his aide, initially saying he thought the allegations were made up, but multiple videos of the encounter appeared to show Lewandowski pulling Fields' arm. 
 
 "I would have loved to have fired him," Trump told CNN's Anderson Cooper during a town hall event in March. "It would have been much easier than talking to you about this all night long ... I don't want to ruin (Lewandowski's) life." 
 
 Trump attributed Lewandowski's actions to security concerns. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Trump continues to back campaign manager Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump continues to back campaign manager 02:57 
 
 "She had a pen in her hand, which Secret Service is not liking because they don't know what it is, whether it's a little bomb," he said. 
 
 Trump also forcefully rejected calls from his rivals to suspend or fire Lewandowski, saying Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America," that "The other candidates, they said, 'Oh, I should fire him.' That's because they're weak, ineffective people. They want to be politically correct. I don't want to be politically correct. I want to be correct." 
 
 Fields, who was a reporter for Breitbart at the time, resigned from the conservative news outlet one week later, along with other staffers. 

 A Florida prosecutor announced Thursday that his office will not pursue a misdemeanor battery charge against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign manager over allegations he grabbed the arm of a reporter. 
 
 Palm Beach County State Attorney David Aronberg confirmed the decision at a press conference, saying there was not sufficient evidence to pursue the charge against Corey Lewandowski. Local police had charged him last month after reporter Michelle Fields accused him of grabbing her as she tried to speak to Trump. 
 
 Aronberg said the police were “well within their authority” to bring that charge but there is a “higher” standard for his office to pursue it. 
 
 “It is not strong enough to meet the legal burden of a reasonable likelihood of conviction,” he said. 
 
 Further, he said that Fields, at the time of the incident, had been directed toward the back of the room along with other media members. She later approached the candidate and “brushed or touched” Trump’s arm, he said. It was at this point that Lewandowski “grabbed” Fields’ arm and pulled her away, he said. 
 
 Trump campaign social media director Dan Scavino earlier had posted on his Facebook page that the charge would not be pressed against Lewandowski. 
 
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 The Trump campaign said the matter was now "concluded." 
 
 "Corey Lewandowski is gratified by the decision to drop the misdemeanor charge and appreciates the thoughtful consideration and professionalism by the Palm Beach State Attorney and his staff who carefully reviewed this matter, as well as Mr. Trump’s loyalty and the support of his colleagues and family during this time," the statement said. "The matter is now concluded." 
 
 The decision not to prosecute Lewandowski was first reported by Politico. 
 
 The incident occurred after a March 8 press conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Fla., where Lewandowski was accused by Fields, a reporter for Breitbart at the time, of grabbing her arm as she asked the Republican front-runner a question. 
 
 Lewandowski initially denied the incident had taken place. 
 
 However, the Jupiter Police Department obtained video from the ballroom that it said paralleled Fields' version of events, and subsequently charged Lewandowski. 
 
 The police report says Lewandowski "grabbed Fields left arm with his right hand, causing her to turn and step back." 
 
 Fields told Fox News' Megyn Kelly in a "Kelly File" interview Wednesday night that she is planning to pursue a civil case against Lewandowski for defamation. 
 
 She also responded in a series of tweets on reports that Lewandowski won't be charged. 
 
 Prosecutor's office told me they would inform me of decision tomorrow. If reports true, guess they decided to leak to reporters first. Ugly. — Michelle Fields (@MichelleFields) April 14, 2016 
 
 For those asking, office of prosecutor asked 2 weeks ago if I'd be ok with an apology from Corey. I said ya but haven't heard back about it — Michelle Fields (@MichelleFields) April 14, 2016 
 
 Lewandowski, speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity, expressed appreciation for Trump's "loyalty" throughout the case. 
 
 It was "a three-second incident that I don't recall that has really taken over a big piece of my life," Lewandowski said. 
 
 He also said he would forgive and be open to meeting with Fields in the future, when asked by Hannity. 
 
 Trump has staunchly defended his campaign manager after he was charged, as the Republican front-runner suggested the reporter could have been perceived as a threat. 
 
 “She's grabbing my arm. She's not supposed to. She broke through Secret Service, she is asking questions,” Trump told Fox News last month. “She's got a pen in her arm, which she's not supposed to have. It shows that she's a very aggressive person who is grabbing at me and touching me. Maybe I should file charges against her.” 
 
 If reporter Michelle Fields really had fallen, Trump said, “He would have been fired before she even got up.”
– The state attorney's office in Palm Beach County, Fla., will not prosecute Donald Trump's campaign manager for battery, according to multiple reports. Corey Lewandowski was charged with simple battery after former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields said he yanked her away from Trump during a March 8 rally, leaving bruises on her arm. Trump's social media director now says the case will go no further, reports Fox News. Fields says the state attorney's office asked Lewandowski to publicly apologize in lieu of prosecution, but it's not clear if he accepted the offer. "Prosecutor's office told me they would inform me of decision tomorrow," Fields tweeted. "If reports true, guess they decided to leak to reporters first. Ugly." State Attorney David Aronberg is expected to confirm the reports at a news conference Thursday. Earlier this week, he told Politico that police in Jupiter, Fla.—where the incident took place—had a low "probable cause" to charge Lewandowski, but his office has "a higher standard to go forward with a prosecution." Several lawyers suggested a jury wouldn't consider the incident a case of battery. Fields says she may still pursue defamation charges after Lewandowski and the Trump campaign labeled her attention-seeking and questioned her integrity, per CNN and Fox. Trump has stood by Lewandowski over the past month, arguing Fields "broke through Secret Service" and "had a pen in her hand" which agents may have thought was "a little bomb."