Cannabis candidate accused of abusing women and inflating his resume

CHICAGO — Benjamin Thomas Wolf, an Illinois congressional candidate whose provocative campaign has captured national media attention, has smoked weed in front of an American flag, brandished an AR-15 in a campaign ad and is running ads on porn sites.

But his turn in the spotlight — the former FBI employee has been featured in write-ups in Newsweek and CNN and appeared in an interview on "Fox & Friends" — has unearthed a troubled past, including accusations of abusive behavior toward women and claims that he inflated his resume.

The allegations against Wolf, the so-called cannabis candidate who is running in a crowded Democratic primary against Chicago-based Rep. Mike Quigley, come amid a national moment of reckoning on sexual harassment and domestic abuse, and on the heels of a scandal involving Rob Porter, the former White House staff secretary accused of domestic violence by two ex-wives.