'Cannabis Candidate' Accused Of Abusing Women, Inflating Resume

CHICAGO, IL — Benjamin Thomas Wolf, who recently gained headlines for smoking pot in a campaign photo, is facing abuse allegations after a POLITICO report published Wednesday. According to the report, Wolf's former girlfriend said she was physically and emotionally abused by him. Katarina Coates — who had interned for his campaign — claimed he abused her in at least six incidents.

“He actually hit me, threw me to the ground, put his foot on my chest. He was really angry. He grabbed my face,” Coates told POLITICO. “I thought it was normal. I cannot explain the logic. It seemed like he cared about me when he did that. After that time he stood on my chest, he went and took me for chocolate cake. I kind of associated it with his caring…There were times I would ask him: ‘do you ever regret hitting me?’ He would say: "No, but I'm relieved when you put your head down so I don't have to do it again."

Coates told POLITICO she didn't file a police report, but that Wolf filed police reports against her. She said he also shared her name and home address on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in retaliation.

Coates reached out to DePaul University campus security complaining she was afraid of Wolf, according to POLITICO. A security officer told her Wolf had been banned from the campus after a separate incident, the publication reported. Professor Jason Hill alleged Wolf threatened him and another student.

Another woman, Kari Fitzgerald, said she dated Wolf and he didn't abuse her — but that he had a volatile personality, according to the report.

Wolf's campaign office did not respond to requests for comment by deadline; however Wolf told POLITICO that he never abused Coates and that the allegations are politically motivated. He also apologized for "doxxing" Coates over social media, according to the report. Wolf also denied harassing Hill and the DePaul student.

Last Spring, Women's March Chicago Facebook admins said they blocked Wolf from their group after a number of complaints against him. And in January, a Florida Democratic group rescinded their endorsement of Wolf over "new information" being brought to their attention, according to the report.

On Veterans Day, the 5th District candidate tweeted "Wolf served multiple terms in Africa and Iraq. Wolf for Congress." But he has never served in the military.

"People in the military get upset when I say I served in Iraq. The military doesn't have a patent on the word 'served,'” Wolf told POLITICO. He said he worked as a federal agent and U.S. diplomat.

"I've been an amazing person in American history," Wolf told the publication. He said he was among the first responders in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon.

Image via Wolf For Congress Campaign office.