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Corey Lewandowski doubles down after saying ‘womp womp’ over girl being taken from her mother

Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, had little sympathy for a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome who was separated from her family after being detained at the border.Paul Sancya/Associated Press/File 2018/Associated Press

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski isn't apologizing after he mocked a story of a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome who was separated from her mother at the border, responding to the anecdote on Fox News Tuesday night with a noise: "Womp womp."

Lewandowski, a Lowell native, appeared with Democratic strategist Zac Petkanas. During the panel, Petkanas mentioned the story of the Mexican girl, who was reportedly sent to a Texas shelter despite her father being a US resident who lived about 60 miles away, according to The Washington Post.

Lewandowski didn't want to hear it, speaking over Petkanas to say, "Womp womp."

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"Did you just say 'womp womp' to a 10-year-old with Down syndrome being taken from her mother?" Petkanas asked.

Then they started speaking over each other.

Lewandowski said that Petkanas can pick out any story he wants, but emphasized that the people at the heart of the stories crossed the border illegally.

Meanwhile, Petkanas asked Lewandowski: "How dare you? How dare you? How absolutely dare you, sir? How dare you?

On Wednesday morning, Lewandowski doubled down on his comments, tweeting that the outrage over his remarks was "fake news." He said he ''mocked a liberal who attempted to politicize children,'' and blamed the Obama administration for the controversial immigration policy.

And on Wednesday afternoon, after The Washington Post updated their story with new details on the case, Lewandowski continued to defend his comments.

According to the Post, officials said the girl's mother admitted to being in the US illegally, but is not facing criminal charges. She is being held as a material witness in an attempt to prosecute the smuggler, who is a US citizen, officials told the newspaper.


Felicia Gans can be reached at felicia.gans@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @FeliciaGans.

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