A top aide to President Trump claims she was assaulted by a woman in a Bethesda restaurant last October.
White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, in an interview for a CNN series “Badass Women of Washington,” said she was having dinner at Uncle Julio’s Mexican restaurant when a woman who was “out of control” grabbed her arms from behind, shook her and was screaming.
“She was just, her whole face was terror and anger,” according to a quote attributed to Conway in a story posted Friday morning on CNN Politics, the first public account of the incident. “She was right here, and my daughter was right there. She ought to pay for that.”
District Court records show Montgomery County Police investigated the Oct. 14 incident and charged Mary Elizabeth Inabinett, 63, of Chevy Chase, with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault.
Restaurant manager Yoana Cruz stated a suspect approached Conway and started yelling “shame on you” and other comments about her political views, according to charging documents. The suspect had to be forcibly removed from the restaurant and disappeared into a parking garage across the street.
Conway told police the woman screamed and made hand gestures toward her for about 10 minutes before being escorted from the restaurant.
On Nov. 8, county police officers with the help of restaurant staff were able to determine which table the suspect had been sitting at, then pulled receipt information showing the name Mary Inabinett, according to charging documents. State motor vehicle records were compared to a video of the incident made by Conway’s daughter, and both were extremely similar, according to the court documents.
Conway, in a November trip to the Bethesda district county police station, identified Inabinett, according to charging documents.
An attorney for Inabinett said in a statement that “Ms. Inabinett saw Kellyanne Conway, a public figure, in a public place, and exercised her First Amendment right to express her personal opinions. She did not assault Ms. Conway. The facts at trial will show this to be true, and show Ms. Conway’s account to be false.”
A spokesman for the restaurant, a chain with 34 restaurants in nine states, could not be reached.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A summons was issued Nov. 27 and served nearly a month later, on Dec. 20, according to court records.
This story will be updated.
