Former Trump Campaign Manager and San Antonio Businessman Brad Parscale was hospitalized Sunday night. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Parscale had barricaded himself inside his Ft. Lauderdale home with several weapons.
All is quiet outside Brad Parscale’s home in Fort Lauderdale tonight. A police SWAT team was here earlier today after Parscale was armed and threatening suicide. He was taken on an involuntary mental health hold (Baker Act) to Broward Health Medical Center https://t.co/qLXXCzts0x pic.twitter.com/p630iEPQTr
— Brett Clarkson (@BrettClarkson_) September 28, 2020
His wife Candice Parscale called the police saying the former campaign chief was threatening to hurt himself, according to the same report.
Parscale was taken into custody without injury.
"Brad Parscale is a member of our family and we all love him. We are ready to support him and his family in any way possible," said Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communication director in a statement to ABC news.
Parscale was replaced in mid-July amid declining poll numbers, a botched restart of the campaign and a rising death toll from COVID-19.
| Related: Former San Antonian Brad Parscale Takes Demotion |
Despite being out of the top job, questions about his judgement in the position continued. A watchdog group accused the Trump campaign under Parscale of illegally disguising $170 million in campaign spending in late July. His leadership was again challenged as late as this month when the campaign’s fundraising edge had fallen away with some attributing it to Parscale’s spending.
I did not have a 50MM coalition program. I stated that I had the desire to spend 50MM in advertising for Black and Latino voters, because I believe that POTUS has a message that will resonate with these voters.https://t.co/GCRVrzjPvR
— Brad Parscale (@parscale) September 7, 2020
When Parscale was demoted, he was still to play a role in the campaign’s digital presence — though CNN reports he hasn’t been seen at the campaign headquarters much since July. Parscale participated in a Trump campaign bus tour through Texas in early September. The president has been campaigning in many traditionally Republican states that were once considered locks, but have become competitive in recent months.
ABC reports Parscale was taken to Broward Health Medical Center. Multiple outlets report police used Florida’s Baker Act to involuntarily commit Parscale. The law allows police to keep someone in a mental health facility for up to 72 hours.
