Gail Ernst [left] claimed in divorce papers that his wife, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst [right], cheated on him with one of her own soldiers while she was deployed in the Middle East with the National Guard from 2003 to 2004

Iowa  senator Joni Ernst is battling publicity of the wrong kind  after her estranged husband claimed in bombshell divorce papers that she had an affair with one of the men in her command. her own soldiers and displayed ‘bizarre behavior’ after he filed for divorce.

The Republican politicians husband Gail Ernst, 65, filed for divorce from the 48-year-old last summer and in newly unsealed court papers that were filed in October 2018, both Joni and Gail list allegations against the other as they fight over access to property, temporary alimony and attorney fees.
Gail unloaded the revelations about his estranged wife in an attempt to remove her from their family home in Red Oak, Iowa.
He’s citing ‘bizarre behavior’ where the politician ‘walked around the house nude, laid out nude on the back patio, and attempted to crawl into bed naked with him at night’.

Gail claims that he originally attended to allow Joni to stay in the house after he filed for divorce because he believed they ‘could be civil to each other’.
The agreement was for Joni to stay in ‘a guest bedroom and use the guest bathroom when she came to Red Oak. That didn’t work out very well because she began to exhibit very bizarre behavior,’ court papers from Gail state that Joni ‘has walked around the house nude; laid out nude on the back patio; has attempted to crawl into bed naked with me at night. She insists on using my bathroom to shower.’
The former military who has submitted an emergency motion to the divorce court to have the case sealed, denies Joni’s claims of cheating, which were made in her own affidavit filed on October 16.
He contends in writing , I ‘never even danced with any other woman before I filed for divorce.’
He then claims Joni had her own affair while she was deployed in Kuwait and Iraq as a company commander with the National Guard.

Gail writes: ‘Joni had a sexual affair with one of her own soldiers while deployed from 2003-2004. I caught her secretly emailing him from our home after the deployment. She admitted to the affair, said she was sorry and begged me not to say anything.’

Things fall apart: Joni, seen here with Gail [right], and their daughter Libby, [center], claims that Gail had cheated on her multiple times and once became violent with her after she confronted him about his ‘special friendship’ with their daughter’s babysitter

In his petition, Gail is also claiming essentially, that he has been a single parent to their daughter Libby because Joni has been too busy pursuing her career.
He writes: ‘I gave up all my aspirations and goals to be a good dad and husband so Joni could pursue her dreams. I have sacrificed my dreams for the past 17 years taking care of our daughter like a single parent and supporting Joni’s career. ‘
Gail also claims Joni has been dating while working in Washington D.C., citing drinks and dinner dates she attended without her staff served as proof.
In her own affidavit, Joni claims that Gail had cheated on her multiple times and once became psychical with her after she confronted him about his ‘special friendship’ with their daughter’s babysitter.

Sen Joni Ernst, seen here, [right] with Donald Trump, says she turned down Trump when they met to discuss the vice-presidency.

Joni writes in her affidavit that was submitted to court on Jan 16: ‘During the time I was the county auditor, Gail had a special friendship with Libby’s new babysitter. He began hanging out at the babysitter’s house, even when Libby wasn’t there.
‘I confronted him about the situation and we went through a very dark and troubling time in our marriage. I very nearly filed for a divorce after a night that we argued, and it became physical. I fled the house with Libby, and went to my mother’s house in the middle of the night.
‘He followed shortly after, crying and apologizing. I sent him away.
‘After I dropped Libby off at school the next morning, I went to work and met with our Victim’s Advocate Wilma Rodgers at her office in the courthouse. She did a quick exam of my throat and head, and wanted to take me to the hospital. I declined because I was embarrassed and humiliated, and I didn’t want anyone to know about the assault.
‘Gail agreed to go to counseling at Offutt AFB [Air Force Base] to repair our marriage, but he told me not to bring up the assault in our counseling sessions. I stupidly agreed. We moved on, although things have never really been the same.’
Joni claims after her husband told her that he wanted a divorce in July of 2018, she decided to go through their accounts and affairs.
Joni writes:  ‘This has been an extremely painful journey. Although Gail seems to think he can live off my salary for the rest of his life, he is doing everything he can to destroy me and ruin my chances for reelection, which would end the gravy train he apparently plans to ride’

Joni [left], said Gail [right] seems to think he can live off my salary for the rest of his life, he is doing everything he can to destroy me and ruin my chances for reelection, which would end the gravy train he apparently plans to ride’

She writes in her affidavit: ‘On July 24th, our 25th wedding anniversary, I pulled out the list of important passwords, social security numbers, account numbers for the family, etc, and opened his Hotmail account. What I found devastated me.
‘There were e-mails in his account from a long-time girlfriend, Carla Rickert, and they were planning their respective divorces. There were disgusting sexual discussions, sharing of financials, scheming, demeaning talk about me and Carla’s husband, discussions about where they would live, house floor plans, etc.
‘I started a downward spiral of not sleeping and eating and I rapidly lost 17 pounds about 13 percent of my body weight. My staff had to cancel two days of my appointments because I couldn’t function.’
Carla Rickert, from Sioux Falls in South Dakota, made news in 2017 with her St. Bernard Mochi ‘Mo’ Rickert after the pooch was crowned the Guinness World Records holder for the longest tongue on a dog.
Joni claims that after filing for divorce, Gail vacationed with Rickert for multiple weeks in Florida, taking her on dinner cruises, playing on the beach and enjoying romantic dinners.

Caught in the flux: Joni claims that on her 25th wedding anniversary she discovered Gail’s emails to Carla Rickert, [photo], who she alleges is her husband’s long-term girlfriend

The politician says in her affidavit that Gail has taken out a new credit card and has ‘paid $1,300 off from our joint account without providing information on where the charges came from.’
Joni also claims Gail might have had a third affair with a co-worker while he was working for US Bank, writing: ‘Soon after I went to work as the Auditor, Gail left US Bank. He had moved up to the Commercial lending side of the branch, and spent time between Red Oak and Council Bluffs working on accounts.
‘He told me he quit US Bank because he tired of the extra work and the driving 40 miles a couple times a week to the Council Bluffs branch. Now I’m not sure if he left because it was too much work for him, or because he was seeing someone at the Red Oak branch.
‘I recently learned that there were rumors about Gail having an affair with the head teller at the Red Oak branch. I thought it was off that he left a good-paying day-job, and took a third-shift job as a supervisor at a window factory 25 miles way. ‘

Joni’s claims in her affidavit that ‘Gail has been very cruel. He is the one that filed for divorce and is the one that was cheating.
‘Yet, he expects me to move out of our house in Red Oak and pay alimony, footing the bill for all of his trips with his girlfriend.
‘This has been an extremely painful journey. Although Gail seems to think he can live off my salary for the rest of his life, he is doing everything he can to destroy me and ruin my chances for reelection, which would end the gravy train he apparently plans to ride.’

As part of her affidavit, Joni revealed she told then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016 that she didn’t want to be his vice presidential running mate, blaming the decision on her controlling husband who resisted her political success.

She plans to run for her Senate seat again in 2020

Joni said that Gail ‘hated any successes I have,’ which influenced her decision to tell Trump she didn’t want to run for the job now held by Mike Pence.
‘[I]n the summer of 2016, I was interviewed by Candidate Trump to be vice president of the United States. I turned Candidate Trump down, knowing it wasn’t the right thing for me or my family,’ she wrote.
‘I continued to make sacrifices and not soar higher out of concern for Gail and our family.’
Ernst didn’t say Trump had offered her the job, but she plans to run for a second six-year Senate term in 2020.