Charges dropped against woman accused of assaulting Kellyanne Conway
All charges have been dropped against the woman who counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway says assaulted her in front of her daughter at a restaurant last fall.
The Maryland State's Attorneys Office in Montgomery County, Maryland, has dropped the charges of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct against Mary Inabinett, claiming the incident "did not rise to the level of a prosecution." Conway told CNN in February she was assaulted in a restaurant in October by the 63-year-old Inabinett, while Conway was dining with her middle school-aged daughter at Uncle Julio's in Bethesda, Maryland.
The State's Attorney's Office for Montgomery County says Inabinett has delivered a written apology to Conway.
"The State's Attorney's Office for Montgomery County has decided not to move forward with the prosecution of Mary Elizabeth Inabinett," said Ramon Korionoff, public affairs director for the Maryland State Attorney's Office for Montgomery County. "Our Assistant State's Attorney in court told the presiding judge that Ms. Inabinett has given a written apology to Ms. Conway. And, that while there was touching, it was minor in nature and did not rise to the level of a prosecution. We believe this resolution is the best result for all concerned considering the evidence, circumstances and nature of this incident."
Conway and Conway's lawyer did not immediately return requests for comment, but CBS News has requested the letter the State Attorney's Office says was given to her.
In February, Conway described the incident as someone "grabbing" her from behind.
"Somebody was grabbing me from behind, grabbing my arms, and was shaking me to the point where I felt maybe somebody was hugging me," she told CNN at the time. "She was out of control. I don't even know how to explain her to you. She was just, her whole face was terror and anger. She was right here, and my daughter was right there. She ought to pay for that."
That incident came after White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was told to leave a Lexington, Virginia, restaurant in June. Sanders said on Twitter that the owner of the Red Hen in the Shenandoah Valley asked her to leave because she works for President Trump.
Conway, one of the president's top defenders, gained prominence not only from leading Mr. Trump's campaign to victory in 2016, but for her aggressive albeit controversial style of defending the president in front of the cameras. She's also one of the longest-serving top White House aides, having served in the White House since the beginning of Mr. Trump's presidency.
