Republican Senator Joni Ernst Says She Was Raped in College

Republican Senator Joni Ernst says that she was raped in college by someone she knew and that her ex-husband physically abused her, making her one of the highest-profile women in her party to allege assaults in the era of the #MeToo movement.

Ernst publicly disclosed the rape in an interview with Bloomberg News, which she decided to do after details of her divorce from husband Gail Ernst were reported this week.

“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,” the Iowa senator said in the interview.

Her voice broke. “And I was not ready.”

Ernst -- who faces re-election in 2020 -- is the fourth-highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate and one of the most powerful women in the country. She’s an ally of President Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct or assault by multiple women, but she drew a sharp distinction between her personal experience and her political decisions.