Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst Says She Was Sexually Assaulted by a Friend in College After Accusing Her Husband of Verbal, Mental Abuse in Divorce Papers

Joni Ernst

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said on Wednesday that she was sexually assaulted by a friend in college — an admission she made a day after it was revealed she accused her husband of abuse in divorce filings.

“I didn’t want to share it with anybody, and in the era of hashtag-MeToo survivors, I always believed that every person is different and they will confront their demons when they’re ready,” Ernst told Bloomberg news in an interview.

Ernst told the news outlet she decided to speak about the abuse after details of her divorce from husband Gail Ernst became public. The GOP lawmaker said that during her 26-year marriage, she was the victim of repeated verbal and mental abuse, the Des Moines Register reported Tuesday.

“Gail has been very cruel. This has been an extremely painful journey,” she wrote, according to the report.

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SOURCE: NY Post, Ben Feuerherd