Former Air Force pilot and U.S. Senator Martha McSally disclosed that she was a victim of sexual assault while jogging near Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday.
The ex-GOP senator from Arizona shared details about the incident on her Instagram account.
“I was just sexually assaulted while out running. I am safe. I am ok. It could have been much worse. I have a lot to process. For anyone else who has been assaulted, speak up. Find your power. Process it emotionally, spiritually, neurologically. I am safe,” she wrote.
“I was just running while I was out running along the Missouri River on the Iowa side. I’m here in Omaha to speak tonight about courage and heart, and how to be a brave heart. And I just had it put to the test,” McSally said in a video.
“I realize I’m still in an adrenaline state,” she said, adding “I’m OK.”
McSally recounted the incident:
“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,” she said.
“I then chased him down. I said a lot of swear words in this moment. I was in a fight, flight or freeze, and I chose to fight,” she continued.
“I ran after him. I threw my water bottle at him, and I chased him into the brush, where he was then hiding as I called 911 and waited for the police to come. I don’t think they found him, and I’m OK,” she stated.
McSally stated that fighting back was the right thing to do.
“But, in this moment, I just wanted to share that I chose to fight and I’m OK right now, in part, because of that. It could have been much worse. I still have a lot to process and I will do that in time,” she said.
McSally stated she would address the incident in what she described as a ‘healthy way.’
“I know it’s tapped into a nerve of other sexual abuse and assault that I’ve been through in the past, which I’ve healed from, as much as I feel can be done,” she said.
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In 2019, McSally disclosed that during her time in the Air Force, she was sexually assaulted by a higher-ranking officer.
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