Trump Campaign Beefing Up Security at Events
PALM BEACH, Florida -- Donald Trump's campaign said today it is beefing up security, after a string of protests and violence at the Republican presidential candidate's events.
"We will be dedicating additional security resources to larger events in the future to prevent staff from having to intervene," campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement to ABC News.
The statement comes the day after an incident involving Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski at a campaign event in Tucson, Arizona, that was captured on video.
During the incident Lewandowski appears to grab the collar of a protester at the same time as a member of Trump's private security team. The protester and his companion had been escorted out earlier in the rally. It is unclear how they came back in.
Despite what can be seen on multiple sources of video, Trump's campaign said in a statement Saturday night that Lewandowski made no contact with the protester and Trump made no mention of any footage during an interview Sunday on "This Week."
"And, I will give him credit. Now he didn't touch him," Trump said, adding that security had been "lax" at the event, despite the presence of local police, Secret Service agents, and his own staff.
The incident is the most recent controversy for Lewandowski, who was accused of grabbing the arm of a female reporter at an event earlier this month. The campaign has strongly denied the allegations and questioned her credibility.
Trump's campaign has turned into a flashpoint for protests and volatility. In Arizona on Saturday, a group of protesters blocked the road to his rally outside of Phoenix, where three were arrested. And then, that night in Tucson, a protester being escorted out with a companion appearing to wear a Ku Klux Klan hood was allegedly sucker-punched by rally-goer.
In spite of this, Trump has called his rallies "lovefests" in the past, touting to "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos, what he sees as a lack of violence.
"We don't condone violence and I say it. And we have very little violence, very, very little violence at the rallies," he said.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders contributed reporting.
