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Wife Of White Nationalist Leader Richard Spencer Says He Abused Her

Richard Spencer file photo.
Nicky Ouellet
/
MTPR
Richard Spencer file photo.

The wife of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer has accused him of physically, verbally and emotionally abusing her in divorce papers filed in Flathead County.

Nina Koupriianova said Spencer abused her throughout their eight-year marriage.

In filings, she says he once left her with bruises after dragging her of bed and down stairs in 2011. She also said he "attacked" and bruised her again in 2014, when she was four-months pregnant with their first child.

Richard Spencer, who popularized the term "alt-right" to describe a fringe movement mixing white nationalism, anti-Semitism and other far-right extremist views, called the allegations, “terrible mischaracterizations” of who he is and said his wife was never in danger.

"My ideas are dangerous. That is true. But, there is a major difference between having ideas that are extremely challenging to the status quo - that are controversial - and endangering someone physically.

Koupriianova made the allegations in a June court filing that BuzzFeed News first reported Tuesday. Koupriianova and Spencer appeared in Flathead County court together October 15.

Koupriianova’s lawyers could not be reached before deadline.

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