President-elect Trump’s pick for secretary of the Army was accused last summer of punching a concessions worker at a racehorse auction in upstate New York.
Police reports state an employee at the Sarasota Springs, N.Y., establishment said Vincent Viola, a billionaire Wall Street trader, gave him a “swollen bloody lip” on Aug. 8. Viola told law enforcement that the man he punched had pushed his wife, prompting the former Army officer to respond physically, according to a report published Wednesday evening. The unidentified victim said he never pushed Viola’s wife.
Saratoga Springs Police Chief Greg Veitch said officers “determined that both incidents involved actions that could have been charged as harassment, a violation level offense in New York State.” However, charges were never brought on either allegation.
“Mr. Viola will always stand up and defend his wife, and in this case there was a simple disagreement with the matter being dropped and no charges were filed,” Viola’s spokesman said in a statement. “Mr. Viola notified the transition team of the disagreement early on in the process and we consider this matter closed.”
Viola made a $200,000 purchase at the auction that day. Fasig-Tipton, the horse auctioneer company, later investigated the incident and concluded “any assault allegations were without merit.”
