Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, claims her husband, Gail, assaulted her for years before their marriage ended in divorce, USA Today is reporting.
In public records connected to the divorce, Ernst claimed she had been the victim of verbal and mental abuse and a physical assault.
“Gail has been very cruel,” she wrote. “This has been extremely painful journey.”
Ernst’s divorce was finalized this month.
She claimed at one point in their marriage, her husband had a “special friendship” with their daughter’s babysitter and she confronted him about it.
"We went through a very dark and troubling time in our marriage," Ernst wrote. "I very nearly filed for divorce after a night that we argued, and it became physical."
According to the court filing, a victim’s advocate examined Ernst’s throat and head and wanted to take her to the hospital.
Ernst said she declined because she was “embarrassed and humiliated.”
She later agreed to attend counseling in a bid to repair their marriage. At the request of her husband, she agreed not to discuss her claim that he assaulted her, the newspaper said.
Later, Ernst said she turned down the chance to be Donald Trump’s running mate because Gail did not support any successes she achieved.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.