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Ruben and Kate Gallego's divorce documents will be unsealed after the legal battle ends

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Ruben and Kate Gallego's divorce documents will be unsealed after the legal battle ends

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(This story has been updated to add new information.)

U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego filed a lawsuit to end his marriage to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego shortly before she gave birth to their son, attempting to hide the split from the public from the start, like show newly unsealed documents.

He said the marriage was “irretrievably broken,” a legal term commonly used in Arizona cases. Subsequent documents exchanged between the couple's lawyers do not support allegations of infidelity or physical abuse in their marriage.

Still, the redacted records bring a level of personal scrutiny that Democrat Ruben Gallego sought to avoid in the final stages of his Senate race against Republican Kari Lake.

Ruben Gallego has long attributed his December 2016 divorce to his post-traumatic stress disorder from his deployment in the Iraq War. In an interview with The Washington Post years ago, he admitted to what he described as “extreme outbursts.”

However, there was no indication in the published records of what exactly that meant. The divorce was finalized in April 2017 without any apparent dispute over the division of assets.

Kate Gallego said their divorce documents formalized how the couple would raise their son separately. Both expressed concern that publicly disclosing the records could endanger the boy, and both accuse Lake of interfering in their divorce, which Lake has denied.

Kate Gallego has endorsed Ruben Gallego, a five-term member of Congress, in the Senate race.

After the information was made public, the Gallegos continued to blame Lake for the unwanted attention.

“We demand an apology from Kari Lake for lying about our family and the circumstances of our divorce,” they said in a joint statement. “She will stop at nothing to score a cheap political point – even if it means jeopardizing the privacy and well-being of our young son. We have long placed our child above all else and will continue to do so.

“The judge in this case recognized how standardized the record is, and it is shameful that Lake, her allies and those who reinforce their cruelty refused to respect two people who are just trying to raise a beautiful boy together .”

In a written statement, Caroline Wren, an adviser to the Lake campaign, called Ruben Gallego's behavior “appalling” and addressed the timing of the separation and the request for legal fees in the divorce.

“It is bizarre that Ruben Gallego is demanding an apology from Kari Lake for his appalling behavior. “Everyone knows that Kari Lake had nothing to do with this lawsuit filed by an independent media company,” she said. “However, we find the revelations in the divorce files shocking, especially considering Ruben Gallego spends millions on advertising.” He claimed to want to protect women, but served his unsuspecting wife with divorce papers just days before she gave birth stood, and even demanded that she pay the legal fees! “If Ruben Gallego turns his back on his pregnant wife days before she gives birth, he will turn his back on Arizona.”

The records were released Thursday after the conservative Washington Free Beacon won a lawsuit filed earlier this year to disclose the records. In his case, the Free Beacon noted that divorce files in Arizona are typically open matters and that Ruben Gallego deserves closer scrutiny as a Senate candidate.

The Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request by the Gallegos to keep the redacted records sealed while they appealed the earlier rulings. The redacted records are now being released more than a week after early voting began and have been treated as a looming “October Surprise.”

In June, Yavapai Superior Court Judge John Napper, who originally presided over the Free Beacon case, pointed out from the bench that the information was pedestrian only.

“I have now checked the entire file several times. I think everyone will be pretty disheartened by the results,” he said in a video obtained by 12 News. “That's a, well, I'm not a politician, and maybe that's a very, very important piece of information. But to me it looks like one of the most varied divorce filings I’ve ever seen.”

For her part, Lake hopes the newly available records can improve her prospects in a race where Ruben Gallego has long had the upper hand. He has consistently maintained a lead over Lake in the polls, received far more support from his party's allies than Lake, and had millions more in campaign funds.

Before the file was released, Wren tried to block Lake from efforts to unseal the case and accused Ruben Gallego of lying by saying she was involved.

Lake has been trying for months to draw attention to the divorce filing in an attempt to repair Ruben Gallego's public image.

In an interview with KTAR (92.3 FM) on Wednesday, Lake again threw personal broadsides at Ruben Gallego, saying he may be beholden to drug cartels because his estranged father was a convicted drug dealer who only officially left his life after a divorce when Ruben Gallego was 18 was.

“This could explain some of his votes with a wide open border and big lies about what led to his divorce,” Lake said.

Arizona's once preeminent political power couple announced their separation in December 2016 after six years of marriage.

It was an event that Kate Gallego, Phoenix's then-vice mayor, wrote about on Facebook.

“It's painful when a marriage ends, and it's something I never wanted or expected,” she wrote.

“Although we are both civil servants, we consider this a completely private matter and neither Ruben nor I will answer any further questions. Instead, I will focus all my energy on preparing for the birth of our son in January and being the best mother possible to him.”

Ruben Gallego, who had just won his second term in Congress, added his own social media message at the time.

“I am sad to announce that my marriage is coming to an end. Kate and I hope this remains a private matter and appreciate your respect for our privacy.”

In his book “They Called Us Lucky,” Ruben Gallego briefly mentioned his divorce and its timing.

“I don't want to give away the whole plot, but we get married, inevitably fall apart, and eventually divorce at what outsiders might think is the worst possible time,” he wrote.

“Nevertheless, we remain friends, share each other’s lives and support each other’s careers. But the terms of our relationship are completely different now.”

The records contain redactions that appear to involve personal information such as Social Security numbers and their finances. It also contains information about her son.

Some editorials are barely longer than a word; others appear as large black blocks on the page.

Ruben Gallego filed for divorce on December 15, 2016 with a three-page document that was mostly standard legal material.

In her legal response to the filing, Kate Gallego disputed a relatively short passage Ruben Gallego alleged was redacted. Otherwise, it was apparently a matter of dividing their assets and agreeing to a visitation and support plan, which is common in divorces with children.

The revelations are a low point for Ruben Gallego and likely a source of renewed pain for Kate Gallego. But the recordings do not change the basic narrative that both Gallegos have previously discussed in their limited public statements on the issue.

In a separate interview with KTAR on Wednesday, Ruben Gallego reiterated his view that they wanted to seal the file to protect their son.

“The judge who is actually overseeing this has said this is one of the most boring, boring divorce proceedings. The reason Kate and I have tried to maintain so much confidentiality is not our responsibility; It’s for our son Michael,” he said.

Gallego said Lake attacked the family of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona; the family of Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer had to hire bodyguards because of her attacks; and Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates resigns over harassment by election deniers that led to post-traumatic stress disorder.

“This is what we want to protect our son from because she would do anything, she would say anything and hurt anyone just to get power,” he said.

Battle lost: The Arizona Supreme Court denies Ruben and Kate Gallego's request to keep their divorce files closed

The Free Beacon is a website that promises “coverage of the enemies of freedom.” His enemies include former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

It has received significant funding from conservative New York hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer.

The publication initially hired a research firm that linked then-presidential candidate Donald Trump to the Russian government, the New York Times reported. The Free Beacon has denied any involvement in the matter.

After Trump secured the Republican nomination in 2016, Trump's ties to Russia were repeatedly scrutinized by Democrat Hillary Clinton during the election campaign.

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