Published Dec. 4 2024, 2:05 p.m. ET
Republican Senator Joni Ernst Says Her Ex-Husband Was Very Abusive During Their Marriage
In December 2024, it was announced that Republican SenatorJoni Ernst was on the shortlist to possibly replace Pete Hegseth as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary. Since Trump has been re-elected, the nominations have been pouring in. If Senator Ernst does step in for Hegseth, that would be particularly galling for him, as he doesn't believe women should serve in combat. …
…In an affidavit from October 2018, Senator Ernst alleged that Gail's reaction to her successes was usually anger and often involved him belittling her. When Donald Trump interviewed her for the role of vice president, she turned him down, citing family reasons. She said this wouldn't be right for any of them. …
…The divorce proceedings also included accusations of affairs from both parties. Gail said that while his wife was deployed as a company commander, she was having a relationship with another soldier. He claimed to catch her writing an email to him. "She admitted to the affair, said she was sorry, and begged me not to say anything," said Gail. He decided to keep it a secret because their daughter was 4 at the time.
Senator Ernst accused Gail of sleeping with their babysitter while she was Montgomery County Auditor, sometime between 2005 and 2011. Apparently, she confronted Gail and the two argued about it. This is the night things evidently turned physical and involved the victim's advocate. "We went through a very dark and troubling time in our marriage," said Senator Ernst.
https://www.distractify.com/p/joni-ernst-married