GOP donor demands refund after candidate taps ‘handsy’ Trump aide Corey Lewandowski
A prominent Republican donor is having buyer’s remorse.
John Odom, who has doled out some $100,000 to Louisiana GOP gubernatorial hopeful Jeff Landry, is demanding his money back aft𝔉er discoverin☂g the aspirant hired Corey Lewandowski to advise his campaign.
Back in September 2021, Lewandowski allegedly became inebriated, and propositioned and inappropriately touched Odom’s then-wife, Trashelle, at a charity dinner.
Lewandowski — who The Post revealed earlier this month has carried on a years-long affair with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — was charged with misdemeanor battery over the incident and later hashed out a plea agreement with prosecutors.
As a result, he was removed as chaℱirman of the Make America Great Again Ac๊tion super PAC.
“If you’re running for governor and you hire on your team the person that assaulted [my] wife in Las Vegas, that would be a red flag,” John Odom told The Post.
“I’d want him to fire Corey Lewandowski and I’d want my money back, but I don’t even think at that point that he would be a great candidate.”
John Odom, who led Idaho-based HMH Construction and had been friendly with Landry, Louisiana’s attorney general, for several years, claimed that the candidate initially encouraged him to keep quiet about Lewandowski’s behavior.
“He was one of the advocates for kind of keeping it under the rug and in-house,” he said, noting he opted to go public with it instead.
John Odom’s beef with Landry was first .
The Odoms have since filed for divorce — and Trashelle is standing by Landry.
“Jeff Landry is not just my friend but I believe he has been the strongest Attorney General in America,” Trashelle said in a statement obtained by The Post. “He has protected children and fought for our individual rights. Jeff truly has my full and complete support for governor of the state of Louisiana.”
“I was married to John at the time he made his donation to Jeff, so half of that money was mine. Not only should Jeff not return that money, but he should spend every dime to make sure he’s the next governor. Our families need it,” she added. “My ex-husband has used our money to pay for illegal drugs and prostitution and propping up his fragile ego. I truly hope he is held accountable to the fullest extend of the law.”
John was taken aback by Trashelle’s statement, calling it “f—ing asinine.”
“Very interesting that you’re standing by the person that hired your assaulter,” he told The Post.
Landry communications director Kate Kelly refrained from commenting on John’s demands directly when contacted by The Post.
“Our campaign has over 11,000 donors from every corner of Louisiana. People contribute to us because they are tired of the broken system in Baton Rouge,” Kelly said in a statement. “We appreciate all of the support and are looking forward to working to make Louisiana Great Again.”
Lewandowski was catapulted to national prominence when he helmed then-candidate Trump’s 2016 campaign, receiving widespread credit for the real estate mogul’s victory in the New Hampshire primary.
Weeks later, however, Lewandowski ran into trouble after video circulated of him manhandling Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields.
He later parted ways ꦛwith the Trump campaign following reported clashes with then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
As the Pelican State’s top prosecutor, Landry has helped lead a sprawling case accusing the Biden administration of coordinating with social media companies to unconstitutionally suppress content.
Louisiana is currently governed by Democrat John Bel Edwards, who can’t run for re-election due to term limits.
Under state law, all eligible candidates will appear on the general election ballot Oct. 14. If no candidate gets above 50%, a runoff will be held No♈v. ♏18.
Trump and the state Republican Party have already endorsed Landry, w🌃ho is favored to win the governorship in the deep-red state.
