FILE - In this June 13, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks before having lunch with Republican senators in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, as Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, listens. 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/Susan Walsh, File)
The Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa 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 that was first reported by Cityview, a Des Moines alternative newspaper.
The filing was made in October but unsealed this month after Ernst and her former husband, Gail Ernst, settled their contentious divorce.
Ernst wrote that after Trump interviewed her in July 2016 to be his running mate, she "turned Candidate Trump down, knowing it wasn't the right thing for" her or her family. She says it was a sacrifice she made for her husband, who wasn't fond of her political career.
Ernst has indicated she'll run for a second six-year Senate term in 2020.
The White House and Trump campaign haven't responded to requests for comment Tuesday.
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)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2015 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden administers the Senate oath to Sen. Joni Ernst R-Iowa, with her husband Gail Ernst and daughter Elizabeth, during a ceremonial re-enactment swearing-in ceremony in the Old Senate Chamber of Capitol Hill 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/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
The Associated Press