The decision to charge Donald Trump’s campaign manager with battery was a key component of the pre-Wisconsin onslaught to bury the Republican front-runner in advance of the critical establishment firewall. The mercenary media swarmed as Corey Lewandowski was hit with a misdemeanor charge over a run-in with former Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields that was grossly exaggerated as to the nature of the incident. It played well and served to cement into place the meme that Trump was a misogynist, a crucial selling point in the bipartisan smear campaign. It will also be invoked by Team Hillary against whoever the GOP nominee happens to be once the bigwigs have spoken at their brokered convention in July. But there always seemed to be more than met the eye on the Lewandowski charges and it is now revealed that the prosecutor who chose to file them has ties to Trump opponents as well as political ambitions of his own.

Politico reports that “Trump aide’s court case rivets Florida’s political class”:

The state attorney considering whether to prosecute Donald Trump’s campaign manager for battery backs Hillary Clinton for president, was a classmate of Ted Cruz, and was friendly with Marco Rubio in the Florida legislature.

But Palm Beach County State Attorney David Aronberg, a Democrat up for reelection this year, insists that politics will play no role in the decision.

“Our loyalty is to justice and not politics,” Aronberg tells POLITICO. “We keep politics outside the confines of this office.”

Try as he might, though, Aronberg can’t escape the political nature of the case.

The case is simply rooted in it: a political campaign manager is accused of unlawfully battering a political reporter trying to interview a political figure at a political event. The national political press is paying close attention. So are outraged Trump supporters. Aronberg has been threatened on Twitter, his home address posted.

Put it all together and, lawyers say, the political dynamics could affect a trial’s proceedings, the likelihood of a conviction and, therefore, Aronberg’s decision to prosecute what is otherwise a minor charge: misdemeanor battery with no serious injuries.

AND

“As [prosecutors] consider whether to move forward they’re going to ask themselves: ‘How am I going to pick a jury? Who has an opinion about Mr. Trump?’ How are they going to pick six impartial people?” Tannebaum noted.

Trump’s campaign and Lewandowski’s legal team wouldn’t comment, but Trump hasn’t been silent. On the campaign trail, Twitter and in high-profile cable appearances, Trump has questioned the veracity of the reporter, Michelle Fields, who lodged the complaint against Lewandowski that resulted in a police citation for battery.

During an interview with Trump on Monday, FOX’s Sean Hannity described Aronberg – who contributed $1,000 to Clinton’s campaign and is on her 150-member Florida Leadership Council – as a “Hillary prosecutor.” Trump said nothing. The Drudge Report last week blared a headline that read: “COREY PROSECUTOR OUTED AS HILLARY SUPPORTER.”

Aronberg’s decision to inject himself into the GOP primary process despite his obvious conflicts of interest and the contribution to the Democrat’s phony war on women narrative that this case brings should lead to his recusing of himself from the matter altogether. Anything less will fail to alleviate the stench of a politically motivated witch hunt which is precisely what the Lewandowski matter has been from the get go. Mr. Aronberg may claim that politics have nothing to do with his decision to bring the charges but the simple fact is that he is a Democrat who is up for reelection this year and that alone is disqualifying.