Former Trump campaign manager involuntarily committed, Fort Lauderdale police say
Former Trump campaign manager Bradley Parscale was involuntarily committed to a hospital Sunday by Fort Lauderdale police after his wife reported that he was suicidal, according to police.
Officers responded just before 4 p.m. to Parscale’s Desota Drive home in the tony Seven Isles area after his wife called about “an armed male attempting suicide,” according to a press release. Police said that Parscale’s wife, Candice Parscale, told officers “her husband was armed, had access to multiple firearms inside the residence and was threatening to harm himself.”
“Officers determined the only occupant inside the home was the adult male,” stated the release, which identified the man as Parscale. “Officers made contact with the male, developed a rapport, and safely negotiated for him to exit the home.”
Police say Parscale was detained and taken to Broward Health Medical Center under Florida’s Baker Act law, which allows officers to involuntarily commit a person who is a danger to themselves or others.
Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign’s spokesman, wished Parscale well and blamed Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans for the incident.
“Brad Parscale is a member of our family and we all love him,” Murtaugh said. “We are ready to support him and his family in any way possible. The disgusting, personal attacks from Democrats and disgruntled RINOs have gone too far, and they should be ashamed of themselves for what they’ve done to this man and his family.”
Property records show Parscale and his wife purchased the home in one of Fort Lauderdale’s most exclusive communities for $2.4 million in January of 2019. At the time, Parscale was running Trump’s reelection campaign.
The president fired Parscale as campaign manager in mid July, but he stayed on as digital director, working remotely from Florida.
His ousting came at a time of tumult for the campaign and amid a series of incidents that allies of the president blamed on Parscale, including an assertion that 1 million people had requested tickets for a Tulsa, Oklahoma, speech that ultimately Trump delivered before a partly empty arena.
This story was originally published September 27, 2020 at 9:19 PM with the headline "Former Trump campaign manager involuntarily committed, Fort Lauderdale police say."
