Sen. Joni Ernst was outed in a sexting scandal Tuesday that revealed a relationship she was having with a high-ranking military official, the Daily Beast reported. The 54-year-old Iowa Republican was one of several women on Capitol Hill who were exchanging sleazy messages with retired Maj. Gen. Christopher Finerty.
A January 2023 report from the Air Force's inspector general alleged that the Finerty had multiple "sexual, inappropriate, or unprofessional relationships" against military policy. Finerty was demoted over the scandal and retired from the service in November.
The women's names were redacted when the report was released to the press. However, two sources close to the matter confirmed that Ernst was one of the women involved in the scandal after being implicated in a similar relationship in 2019 with a Navy legislative affairs official.
Republican Senator Joni Ernst is being accused of having relationships with two military officials.
One is Air Force Major General Christopher Finerty, who was demoted after getting busted sexting women on Capitol Hill, according to a ProPublica report.
The other is a Navy… pic.twitter.com/vfh7AElcUP
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) March 4, 2025
According to ProPublica, Finerty's colleagues slammed his exploits as "highly inappropriate" because of Ernst's position in Congress, which could give the Air Force an unfair advantage. Ernst, a combat veteran, is on the Senate's Armed Services Committee.
Part of her duties include drafting the Pentagon's annual budget, including allocating spending to the Air Force. "I honestly felt sick to my stomach because it just felt so sleazy," a colleague said.
The Republican lawmaker, who has been in the Senate since 2015, was not married at the time of the affair, nor was Finerty. Moreover, there's nothing in the Senate rules that precludes lawmakers from carrying on with lobbyists.
Although Finerty isn't a lobbyist, his position presents ethical concerns that certain relationships could create undue influence. "From an ethics standpoint, it’s severely problematic," said a former military legislative affairs official.
In fact, those who worked for Finerty believed that their relationship "absolutely gave the Air Force undue influence." It didn't help that their romance was the worst-kept secret, as at least six colleagues reportedly knew about and were concerned regarding their relationship.
Finerty was rightly demoted for his conduct, but Ernst will also suffer because of their relationship if the reports are accurate. Her spokesperson refused to speak on the matter but stressed that the Iowa Republican was not compromised in her job.
"The fake news media is clearly too busy gossiping to report the real news that Senator Ernst is focused on cutting waste at the Pentagon. Her votes and work in the Senate are guided by the voices of Iowans who elected her and her constitutional duty alone," the spokesperson said.
"Any insinuation otherwise by tabloid ‘journalism’ is a slanderous lie — full stop," the person added. Finerty's attorney also wouldn't say whether he was involved with Ernst and denied wrongdoing.
"The IG report found no evidence suggesting anything remotely approaching either conflict of interest or undue influence involving General Finerty and anyone on Capitol Hill. Further, the IG report found no law, rule, policy, or guidance prohibited any of General Finerty’s relationships. Any suggestion to the contrary would be defamatory," his attorney said.
This scandal is harmful to all parties involved and could easily have been avoided if all parties acted with the dignity of their offices. If the reports are true, it's a terrible look for them all and will surely have a ripple effect in Congress and the military.
