Minnesota Republican Lawmaker Abandons Campaign After Aggression Charges

Jim Knoblach, a state official from Minnesota, announced Friday that he would end his re-election campaign after his daughter allegedly assaulted for more than 10 years, starting at age 9. The Washington Post reported Saturday.

The South Lawn of the White House on September 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. Oliver Contreras-Pool / Getty Images

"I love my children more than anything and I would never do anything to hurt them," he said in his release. "His allegations are false."

Her statement continued: "With other members of my family, I have tried repeatedly to come to terms with her in recent years, but she refused."

Knoblach said that he was ending his campaign in order to avoid attracting media attention. At the end of his term, he intends to focus on the "healing" of his family.

His daughter, Laura Knoblach, who is now 23 years old, alleged that the assault had begun at the age of 9 and continued for a decade. The legislator's statement was made just before Minnesota Public Radio News published lengthy reports on the allegations as well as interviews with Laura.

Laura alleges that Knoblach assaulted her several times during her childhood. "He put his arm around me and did not let me get up or leave and he would lick my neck or bite my ear," she said in her interview.

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Knoblach's lawyer, Susan Gaertner, said The Washington Post "[Knoblach] recognizes that he is a physically loving father "to his children but that Laura exaggerated these affections.

"You have the reality of an environment where malpractice allegations are harder to fight in the public eye," Gaertner said.

Laura Knoblach had already made these accusations against her father during his first departure. In 2016, she published on Facebook an article detailing her sexual abuse during her childhood and how her family had "forced me to silence for nearly 15 years".

The message has since been deleted but was obtained by MPR News, according to The post office. A police investigation took place in 2016 after his post, but for lack of sufficient evidence, no charges were filed.

Laura Knoblach is a record triathlete living in Boulder, Co.