Senator Joni Ernst Opens Up About Beings Raped in College and Abused by Her Ex-Husband
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Republican Senator Joni Ernst came forward about her experience with sexual assault, saying she was raped in college by an acquaintance.
She told Bloomberg, "I didn’t want to share it with anybody, and in the era of #MeToo survivors, I always believed that every person is different and they will confront their demons when they’re ready. And I was not ready."
Ernst explained that during college, she was in a relationship with someone who was physically and sexually abusive. She says one night he raped her and then threatened that if she broke up with him, he would kill himself. Though she ended things with him, she did not report the rape to the police.
The Iowa Senator had disclosed her volunteer work with sexual assault survivors in the past, but she had never revealed she was one, saying she felt embarrassed and humiliated.
Ernst explained that she decided to speak about the rape now after details surrounding her divorce were accidentally made public, including the allegation that she was physically abused by her ex-husband. In the now-public affidavits, Ernst also said her husband had been plotting with his girlfriend to divorce her, while Ernst's husband accused her of having an affair with a solider. They've both denied the accusations. In the affidavit, Ernst's husband didn't respond to the allegations of abuse.
The senator is the fourth-highest ranking Republican in the Senate, according to Bloomberg. She voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and supports President Trump, telling the outlet, "It’s outrageous to suggest that anyone who has been the victim of sexual assault should therefore be a Hillary Clinton supporter."
Ernst will also be running for re-election in 2020. She said, "I’m going to do it as a single woman. People know my situation now. What I can do is be honest about what happened. And I can move forward. The problem is now I’ve been outed when I was not ready to talk about it. But now maybe it forces me to talk about it."
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