His departure, first reported Thursday by Bloomberg News, occurred after news stories revealed that Lewandowski had not registered as a lobbyist, even though his firm appeared to be offering potential foreign and other clients access to top administration officials.

Lewandowski and his former partner, Barry Bennett, confirmed the split Thursday evening.

“Corey was a big name and a big target,” said Bennett, also a former Trump campaign adviser. “The firm has been growing yet everything the firm did was associated with Corey, even though we have a lot of clients who Corey has not even met.”

The departure is amicable, Bennett said, noting that it was a tough fit for Lewandowski who has said he did not wish to lobby or work for foreign clients. “It is hard to not lobby and own a chunk of a lobbying firm,” Bennett said.