Former Arizona Senator Martha McSally alleged she was sexually assaulted whereas out jogging in Iowa on Wednesday. The 57-year-old Republican, who’s a rape survivor, posted a video on social media whereby she stated {that a} man all of a sudden jumped out and “fondled”.
“A man came up behind me, and he engulfed me in a bear hug, and he molested and fondled me until I fought him off,” McSally said in the video posted on Instagram.
She said she was in Iowa because she was scheduled to give a speech in Omaha about courage. In the video, the Republican leader added that following the assault, she was in a “fight-flight-or-freeze” moment and she “selected to combat”.
“I ran after him. I threw my water bottle at him, I chased him into the bush, the place he was then hiding. I known as 911 and waited for the police to return. I do not suppose they discovered him and I’m okay,” Martha McSally continued.
Sharing the video on Instagram, Martha McSally also wrote a caption, in which she said that she is “protected”.
“For anybody else who has been assaulted, communicate up. Find your energy. Process it emotionally, spiritually, neurologically. I’m protected,” her caption read.
The assault happened at 10:53 am at the Haffan River’s Edge Park on a service road near the I-480 underpass, The New York Post reported, citing Council Bluffs Police.
When the police arrived, they were unable to find the suspect, who fled. The suspect was described as a “stocky” male aged between 25 and 40.
Martha McSally had previously spoken about being raped by a superior officer while serving in the Air Force for over two decades. Revealing the incident at a 2019 senate hearing, the Republican said at the time that she felt compelled to share her experiences and how it was handled after “years of silence”.
Martha McSally was elected to the House of Representatives in 2014. Following a Senate bid loss to Democrat Krysten Sinema in 2018, she was appointed to the Senate by Governor Doug Ducey after the resignation of Senator John Kyl. McSally was subsequently defeated in a 2020 special poll by Democratic Senator Mark Kelly.
Published On:
Nov 10, 2023
Source: www.indiatoday.in
