http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/fields-slams-van-susteren-as-trump-shill-221930Michelle Fields slams Van Susteren as 'Trump shill'
By Nick Gass
04/14/16 06:51 AM EDT
Former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields accused Greta Van Susteren of being a "shill" for Donald Trump's campaign late Wednesday evening, after the Fox News anchor urged Fields not to bring a civil defamation lawsuit against either Trump or campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who last month was charged with misdemeanor battery for a run-in following a campaign event in Florida last month.
Earlier Wednesday, POLITICO reported that a Florida prosecutor has decided not to prosecute Lewandowski and will announce the decision later Thursday afternoon.
By Wednesday evening, TheBlaze reported that Fields said she was looking to sue both the candidate and his campaign manager for defaming her character throughout the episode. Lewandowski tweeted that Fields was "delusional" with her account of events, while Trump himself questioned whether the bruises on Fields' arm came from the alleged grabbing incident at his golf club.
"Anyone encouraging Michelle Fields to bring a civil law suit is not doing her a favor," Van Susteren wrote in a post on her website. "She does not want to take the stand in a civil case, subject to rigorous cross examination, that is likely to be on television to discuss a case that the DA won’t prosecute because he does not believe the evidence shows assault. Yes, the burden of proof is less in a civil case, but she is just not going to win and it will be expensive and a heartache."
Van Susteren added, "Anyone encouraging this young woman to bring a lawsuit is irresponsible to her."
Fields fired back on Twitter, writing, "I think I'll pass on getting legal advice from a Trump shill. Thanks tho."
Responding to this article on Twitter, Van Susteren, a former lawyer, tweeted Thursday morning, "this is silly-I relied on years of experience in court system,she relies on name calling :)"
Lewandowski has stayed on the Trump campaign despite the incident, though his role has begun to diminish as the campaign grows and the calendar gets closer to the July convention. Convention veteran Paul Manafort recently joined the Trump campaign, and on Wednesday, the campaign announced that it had hired former Scott Walker campaign manager Rick Wiley as political director.