Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's former campaign manager, announced Wednesday that he has opened a consulting firm in the nation's capital.
Lewandowski has joined forces with Barry Bennett, a longtime Republican strategist, to launch Avenue Strategies, a full-service government relations and political consulting firm, according to a news release. The firm is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, only a block from the White House, where Lewandowski's former boss will soon reside.
The Associated Press was first to report that Lewandowski, who was paid as a commentator for CNN after leaving the Trump campaign, would not take a role in the incoming administration. Instead, he will help support Trump's agenda through the consulting firm.
"I will always be President-elect Trump's biggest supporter," Lewandowski said in a statement. "After considering multiple opportunities within the administration, I informed him and his team I think I can best help him outside the formal structure of the government. I very much look forward to doing that everyday."
"It is necessary to have strong, organized outside groups who can help ensure the president-elect's agenda is achieved," Lewandowski said. "My goal is to make sure the priorities of the Trump administration become reality."
Bennett is a veteran Republican strategist who served as campaign manager for Dr. Ben Carson's 2016 Republican primary campaign before advancing to a role as senior adviser with the Trump campaign.
"I am very excited to take everything I learned this cycle and with Corey, help the causes and clients I care about raise their voices in Washington," Bennett said. "Change in Washington is never easy but change is what we intend to fight for everyday."
The two Republican aides met while working in the House of Representatives two decades ago. Their new firm formally opened its doors on Wednesday.
Lewandowski was fired from Trump's campaign in June in a major staff shakeup a month before Trump was officially named the Republican nominee at the convention in Cleveland.