Donald Trump’s recently hired campaign CEO was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and dissuading a witness in a January 1996 incident with his ex-wife, Politico reported Thursday.
Police reports and court documents obtained by the site show that Stephen Bannon got into a physical altercation with his then-wife at their Santa Monica, California home.
The woman, whom Politico did not name, told police that Bannon pulled at her neck and wrist during a fight about their finances and reportedly smashed the phone when she tried to call police. The police report notes that an officer saw red marks on her neck and wrist, according to Politico.
Bannon’s ex-wife did not appear in court, and he pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were ultimately dropped.
The couple divorced in January 1997. Bannon provides child support for the their twin girls, according to the report.
A spokeswoman for the far-right media mogul, currently on leave from his role as chairman at Breitbart News, told Politico that police never interviewed Bannon about the altercation.
“The bottom line is he has a great relationship with the twins, he has a great relationship with the ex-wife, he still supports them,” spokeswoman Alexandra Preate told the site.
According to the police report obtained by Politico, the couple began fighting when Bannon’s ex-wife asked for a credit card to go shopping.
The argument reportedly escalated and became physical. Bannon’s then-wife spat on him and he grabbed at her wrist and neck in response. The police report says that when the ex-wife attempted to call 911, Bannon “jumped over her and the twins to grab the phone from her. Once he got the phone, he threw it across the room.”
Though the phone was rendered unusable, according to the ex-wife, police still responded to the hung-up 911 call and arrived at the house, where they filed a report and photographed “red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck.”
Los Angeles County court documents obtained by Politico found that a complaint for misdemeanor domestic violence, battery, and dissuading a witness was filed by the Santa Monica District Attorney’s office in February 1996. Prosecutors dismissed the charges in August when Bannon’s ex-wife did not appear in court.
The couple was divorced soon afterward. The woman in the domestic violence case was Bannon’s second wife. He also paid spousal and child support to a wife and child from a previous marriage, Politico reported.
Bannon remarried for a third time to Diane Clohesy but the couple divorced in 2009, according to The Guardian.
