Trump Aide's Wife Denies Abuse Accusations Despite Saying He 'Hits Her' as He Announces Campaign Exit

Stephen Maturen/Getty Brad Parscale

Donald Trump's former campaign manager said he would be leaving the president's re-election effort following what police described as a drunken incident over the weekend in which his wife said he was armed and had been suicidal — and responding officers observed her with bruising and scratches on her body.

“I am stepping away from my company and any role in the campaign for the immediate future to focus on my family and get help dealing with the overwhelming stress," Brad Parscale, 44, said in a statement to Politico.

The man who helped captain Trump's surprise 2016 victory was demoted in mid-July as the president continued to trail rival Joe Biden in the polls and after he was reportedly angered over a poorly attended campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June.

Parscale became somewhat of a mini-political celebrity in recent years, frequently speaking at events before the president, taking selfies with supporters and even appearing prominently in a Trump campaign ad earlier this year alongside images of the president and Vice President Mike Pence.

But at home in Florida and reduced to a nominal senior adviser role within the campaign in July, Parscale "has been depressed and suicidal recently," police say his wife, Candice Parscale, told them Sunday afternoon.

"This has led him to consume alcohol a lot more frequently and make suicidal statements," police said in their reports, obtained by PEOPLE

Authorities were called to the Parscales' Fort Lauderdale residence after they say Candice told them her husband cocked a gun in front of her during an argument, causing her to flee the home and find help from a nearby Realtor who then called 911.

In a statement to Politico on Wednesday, Candice insisted what she said to police — that her husband "hits her," according to one incident report — was not accurate.

“The statements I made on Sunday have been misconstrued, let it be clear my husband was not violent towards me that day or any day prior,” she said in her statement, provided alongside her husband's.

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Bryan Woolston/Getty Brad Parscale in November 2019

When police arrived at the Parscales' home Sunday, multiple officers reported Candice had bruises on both her arms, while one officer noted she had bruising and scratches on her face. Authorities said they took photos of her as evidence.

"When I asked how she received the brusing [sic], [Candice] stated Brad Parscale hits her," one officer wrote in the police reports.

"When asked if he made these markings today, she claimed he did not. I continued to ask if Brad Parscale physically assaulted her in anyway today and she said no, but he did forcibly smack her phone out of her hand when she was attempting to call Brad Parscale's father," the officer wrote.

According to another report from an investigator at the scene, Brad was also seen with injuries on his body which he said "occurred several days ago none in relations to this incident and [police]."

The reports state that responding police felt "it was evident that" Candice "could not safely be left with [her husband] due to his potential for violence to her and/or himself."

The Parscales did not respond for additional comment on Thursday.

The Trump campaign did not dispute the Politico report but would not clearly state whether Brad is officially leaving the campaign after multiple requests to confirm his departure.

“We hope for nothing but the best for Brad and his family," campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement.

Murtaugh had originally seemed to blame Trump's critics for the encounter with police, saying that "disgusting, personal attacks from Democrats and disgruntled RINOs [Republicans in name only] have gone too far."

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FLPDPIO/YouTube Brad Parscale was detained by Fort Lauderdale police on Sunday

In a 911 call released by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Candice is heard telling the dispatcher that Brad has been under a "lot of stress right now" and that he had been "ranting and raving about something, I don't know."

Audio from that call shows the Realtor whom Candice flagged down seemingly noticing her bruises.

"Oh no, did he do that?" the woman says. "Oh my gosh, your arm, both your arms. Has he been hurting you?"

Responding officers reported that Brad smelled of alcohol when he was detained. Body camera footage reviewed by PEOPLE shows him holding a can while approaching an officer at the end of his driveway, before quickly getting tackled and handcuffed because authorities said he didn't respond to their commands.

Authorities said that he was not accused of a crime and that his wife was "not cooperative" with filing charges against him.

Police took the longtime Trump campaign operative to a local hospital under the Baker Act, a Florida law that allows police to detain someone to provide medical care if they're deemed dangerous to themselves or others.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.