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Iowa Sen. Ernst denies allegation of affair with soldier

Sen. Joni Ernst is denying allegations leveled by her ex-husband that she had an affair with a subordinate while she served in the military

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2018 file photo, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks during the signing of an order withdrawing federal protections for countless waterways and wetlands, at EPA headquarters in Washington. Ernst says she turned down Donald Trump's request to run as his vice president in 2016 because of family concerns. Ernst made the claim in an affidavit in a divorce proceeding in October that was first reported by CityView, a Des Moines weekly newspaper. The filing was unsealed earlier this month after Ernst and her former husband of 25 years, Gail Ernst, settled their previously contentious divorce. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2018 file photo, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks during the signing of an order withdrawing federal protections for countless waterways and wetlands, at EPA headquarters in Washington. Ernst says she turned down Donald Trump's request to run as his vice president in 2016 because of family concerns. Ernst made the claim in an affidavit in a divorce proceeding in October that was first reported by CityView, a Des Moines weekly newspaper. The filing was unsealed earlier this month after Ernst and her former husband of 25 years, Gail Ernst, settled their previously contentious divorce. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)Read moreCliff Owen / AP
    by The Associated Press, The Associated Press
    Published 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Joni Ernst on Wednesday denied allegations leveled by her ex-husband that she had an affair with a subordinate while she served in the military.

The Iowa Republican answered questions from reporters about that and other allegations at a town hall event on the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls, the Des Moines Register reported .

In the court documents, Ernst's ex-husband, Gail Ernst, accused her of having an affair with one of her soldiers while she was deployed as a company commander. She said Wednesday that she cares "about all of my soldiers" that the allegation was not true.

Ernst also accused her ex-husband in divorce documents of having an affair and physically assaulting her during an argument before she was elected to the Senate.

Gail Ernst denied in court documents that he had an affair, but the abuse allegations were not addressed. A working phone number for him could not be found, and his attorney on Tuesday declined to comment.

Joni Ernst said Wednesday at the event that she believed the court documents would be sealed from the public and was caught off guard by news reports on the allegations.

"I would love to point the finger and say, 'Somebody screwed up. Somebody leaked.' But they're out there and so now I will deal with that," she said. "But what I want people to understand is that I am the same person as I was last week. You just know more about what's inside of me now."

Ernst, 48, has indicated she'll run for a second six-year Senate term in 2020.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com