Breitbart Reporter Michelle Fields and Editor-at-Large Ben Shapiro Resign Following Alleged Assault — and See Shapiro's Scathing Statement

Michelle Fields, the Breitbart News reporter who alleged that she was assaulted by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign manager last Tuesday, has resigned, claiming that her former employer has not stood by her in the wake of the purported incident.

Fields announced her departure in a statement to BuzzFeed News, with editor-at-large Ben Shapiro also offering up his resignation in a separate, strongly worded statement in which he charged that Breitbart News has opted to defend Trump rather than stand by Fields.

"Today I informed the management at Breitbart News of my immediate resignation," Fields' wrote in her brief comments. "I do not believe Breitbart News has adequately stood by me during the events of the past week and because of that I believe it is now best for us to part ways."

Shapiro's statement, though, was both more scathing and extensive, with the well-known commentator saying that he believes that Breitbart News' leadership has shamefully abandoned the mission of the site's namesake, Andrew Breitbart, who died unexpectedly in 2012.

"Andrew’s life mission has been betrayed. Indeed, Breitbart News, under the chairmanship of Steve Bannon, has put a stake through the heart of Andrew’s legacy," Shapiro wrote. "In my opinion, Steve Bannon is a bully, and has sold out Andrew’s mission in order to back another bully, Donald Trump; he has shaped the company into Trump’s personal Pravda, to the extent that he abandoned and undercut his own reporter, Breitbart News’ Michelle Fields, in order to protect Trump’s bully campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who allegedly assaulted Michelle."

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump walks with his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, left, after speaking at a news conference, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, in Dubuque, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

And he wasn't done there.

Shapiro went on to say that Brietbart News "did nothing outside of tepidly asking for an apology," accusing the outlet of trying to abandon Fields by telling staffers not to tweet or discuss the issue, and by publishing a supposedly unflattering story that did not stand by her account of what had unfolded.

"This is disgusting. Andrew never would have stood for it. No news outlet would stand for it. Nobody should," Shapiro wrote. "This truly breaks my heart. But, as I am fond of saying, facts don’t care about your feelings, and the facts are undeniable: Breitbart News has become precisely the reverse of what Andrew would have wanted."

According to BuzzFeed News, other employees are reportedly said to be looking for ways out of the company, as internal debate purportedly continues to unfold.

As TheBlaze previously reported, Fields' claim that Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski assaulted her during a Tuesday news conference has made headlines in recent days.

An eyewitness account by a Washington Post reporter seemingly backed Fields' story as did a video that later emerged. Fields has also filed a police report alleging “simple battery” was committed by Lewandowski.

The departures of Fields and Shapiro follow former Breitbart spokesperson Kurt Bardello, who quit and then publicly accused Breitbart News of lying about what unfolded.

"Are you saying they are lying?" CNN's Don Lemon asked Bardello, who responded, "Yes, I am," during a TV segment last week.

(H/T: BuzzFeed)

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