Four Breitbart journalists quit after alleged assault at Trump rally

Two reporters and two editors fromBreitbart News have resigned in protest at how the conservativewebsite handled an alleged assault last week on one of thereporters by a senior aide to Republican presidential candidateDonald Trump.

Reporter Michelle Fields filed a criminal complaint onFriday against Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, sayinghe grabbed her arm at a rally on March 8 in Florida with suchforce that he left bruises. Lewandowski and Trump have deniedthe accusation.

The incident generated a spat at Breitbart, with journalistsaccusing management of kowtowing to the Trump campaign.

Breitbart published an account on Friday of the incidentthat raised questions over Fields' version of events andsuggested it was not Lewandowski who grabbed her. According to aBuzzFeed report on Saturday, Breitbart senior editor-at-largeJoel Pollak also ordered staffers in an internal chatroom tostop defending Fields.

Fields and editor-at-large Ben Shapiro resigned in responseto that late on Sunday. National security correspondent JordanSchachtel and editor Jarrett Stepman resigned on Monday,according to a letter by them that was posted to Twitter, inwhich they accused the news site of becoming a propaganda armfor the Trump campaign.

Breitbart News Chief Executive Larry Solov did not respondto a request for comment on Monday.

The alleged assault on Fields took place days before aseries of clashes between supporters of Trump, front-runner tobe the Republican presidential nominee in November's election,and protesters at campaign rallies.

The allegations were being investigated, a spokesman for theJupiter, Florida police department said on Monday. No chargeshave been filed, he said.