EXCLUSIVE: 'He's like a guy that just came from a Jimmy Buffett concert.' Trump's ex-campaign manager Brad Parscale wasn't suicidal and posed no threat during armed siege at his Florida home where he was shirtless and carrying a beer, his lawyers claim

Brad Parscale was not suicidal, didn't fire a gun and posed about as much threat as 'a guy that just came from a Jimmy Buffett concert' during an armed siege at his Florida home, a court heard today.

Lawyers for the fired Trump aide asked a judge to block access to his psychiatric records, arguing that the wild September 27 stand-off was not a 'calamitous' mental health episode because Parscale never threatened anyone.

They also questioned his wife Candice's version of events, revealing that she had admitted in a signed affidavit that she was 'under the influence of alcohol' when she fled their waterfront mansion in just a skimpy bikini, telling cops her husband was suicidal and that he had struck her during previous bouts of violence.

Attorneys for the City of Fort Lauderdale argue the files are 'critical' in deciding whether Parscale, 44, poses a threat to himself and others, and whether he should be returned the 11 guns that were seized after the headline-grabbing fracas.

But Parscale's attorney Brad Cohen told Broward County Circuit Court: 'It's based on the wife coming outside, essentially saying, hey my husband is inside with a lot of guns and he's upset.

'She never states and I don't think the city can present any evidence that he's suicidal, that he said he's going to kill himself, that he's going to kill her, or that he's going to start opening fire on anyone else or going to start randomly shooting the house up or anything of that sort.'

Brad Parscale was not suicidal, didn't fire a gun and posed about as much threat as 'a guy that just came from a Jimmy Buffett concert' during an armed siege at his Florida home, a court heard today

Lawyers for the fired Trump aide asked a judge to block access to his psychiatric records, arguing that the wild September 27 stand-off was not a 'calamitous' mental health episode because Parscale never threatened anyone

He was involuntarily detained under Florida's Baker Act for three days and slapped with a risk protection order, allowing police to take away his seven handguns, two long rifles and two shotguns

In a court hearing on Thursday, Parscale's lawyers asked a judge to block access to his psychiatric records

Parscale - demoted from his job as Trump 2020 campaign manager over the summer - eventually emerged from his home shirtless and carrying a beer before being tackled to the ground when he ignored orders to get on the floor.

He was involuntarily detained under Florida's Baker Act for three days and slapped with a risk protection order, allowing police to take away his seven handguns, two long rifles and two shotguns.

Prosecutors want access to assessments carried out by medics as well as his entire mental health history but Cohen said the case is not serious enough to waive Parscale's right to patient confidentiality and that releasing the information could 'severely damage my client's career going forward.'

'I don't think this classifies as a calamitous event,' he told Judge Carlos Rebello during a 30-minute Zoom hearing.

'It's a calamitous event in his life because he was taken down to the ground and tackled with no shirt on. He came outside with a beer in his hand and he was like, hey, what's up? What's going on?

'And if you look at the video, you can see how he approaches the officers. There is zero opposition to the officers, zero aggression towards the officers or anyone else.

'In fact he's kind of like a guy that just came from a Jimmy Buffett concert. He's got no shirt on, no shoes and he's hanging out with a beer.'

Cohen questioned whether Candice's immediate account could be relied upon given that she reported hearing a gunshot when there was never any evidence that a gun was fired.

'She looks upset on the video to me, she looks like she's under the influence of something, she's very animated. She later said she was under the influence of alcohol,' Cohen told the hearing.

'She thought she heard a gunshot fire. There was no gunshot.'

Parscale's lawyers questioned his wife Candice's version of events, revealing that she had admitted in a signed affidavit that she was 'under the influence of alcohol' when she fled their waterfront mansion in just a skimpy bikini, telling cops her husband was suicidal and that he had struck her during previous bouts of violence. In police body cam footage, Candice can be seen with large bruises to her arms and a swollen lip

'She didn't have a bruise on her, I never hit her, I never have,' Parscale, 44, plead to police in body cam footage. 'I've never touched her. This is all about money.' Candice has since attempted to play down any suggestion her husband is a domestic abuser but in the videos she can be overheard telling officers the opposite. Pictured: Bruises on Candice's arms 

Despite his talk of divorce, Parscale reconciled with his wife after he was released three days later. He then announced he was stepping back from his role of digital strategist with the Trump 2020 campaign due to 'enormous stress', having been demoted from the campaign manager's gig in July

Brad Weismann, representing the City of Fort Lauderdale, reiterated what Candice, 41, had told officers the day of the siege when they spotted bruises on her face and arms.

'She stated that Mr Parscale had not touched her on that date but that he had done it in the past,' he said.

Weisman said there was ample evidence from what Candice told officers – that her husband 'regularly consumed alcohol', had been 'distraught' over the loss of his job, and had been suffering from PTSD - to justify treating him as a threat to himself and others.

He also said that Parscale had refused to come outside until a friend who just happened to be a police officer for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department coaxed him out.

The court also heard from Dr Michael Brannon, a clinical psychologist, who said that medical records, particularly assessments made when Parscale was admitted to the hospital after the siege, would be 'critical pieces of information' in deciding what risk he posed.

Judge Rebello promised to make a ruling by close of play Thursday but it's unlikely his decision will be made public as all previous records in the Parscale case have remained under seal.

If the judge allows city officials to access the records he will first inspect them himself 'in camera' to determine what exactly they should be allowed to see.

The hearing comes weeks after DailyMail.com revealed officer bodycam video covering the entire episode, including Parscale complaining afterwards that his wife set the confrontation up so she could empty their bank accounts and leave while he was locked up.

Parscale also revealed on camera that the argument began because Candice had been refusing to have sex with him for months, vowing to divorce her as soon as he was free. 

DailyMail.com revealed previously how he vowed to divorce Candice the moment he got out and complained to cops en route that she was refusing him sex 

The astonishing rant was filmed on a female officer's body-worn camera after Parscale was transported to the hospital in the aftermath of his September 27 meltdown

Police took away his seven handguns, two long rifles and two shotguns  

However the pair patched things when he was released from the hospital, issuing coordinated statements in an effort to play down her allegations of domestic abuse.

Parscale said he was stepping away from his digital strategist role with the Trump campaign due to 'overwhelming stress'.

Candice denied that her 6ft 7in partner was a domestic abuser despite telling officers that he had struck her during a previous fight.

'The statements I made on Sunday have been misconstrued, let it be clear my husband was not violent towards me that day or any day prior,' she told Politico.

It was widely reported in July that Parscale was demoted because a much-trumpeted rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma drew a dismal crowd and left the President fuming.

However DailyMail.com revealed that Parscale was also subject to an internal audit investigating claims that as much as $40million went missing from Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.

The President's deputy press secretary Ken Farnaso denied the story, saying: 'There is no investigation, no audit, and there never was.'

Parscale is yet to face any criminal charges over the siege however a judge previously gave police permission to seize his cache of weapons.

'Bradley James Parscale poses a significant danger of causing personal injury to himself or others by having a firearm or any ammunition in his custody,' the city said in its filing.

It also referenced several of the allegations Candice tried to play down, stating: 'While Officer Skaggs was speaking with Mrs. Parscale he observed several bruises on both her arms.

'Mrs. Parscale explained that she obtained the bruises during a physical altercation with Mr. Parscale a few days earlier, which was not reported to the police.

'It should also be noted that Detective Steven Smith also observed on Mrs. Parscale large sized contusions on her arms, cheek and forehead. Detective Smith asked Mrs. Parscale how she received the injuries. Mrs. Parscale stated that Mr. Parscale strikes her.'

Parscale was demoted from his job as Trump 2020 campaign manager over the summer

It was widely reported in July that Parscale was demoted because a much-trumpeted rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma drew a dismal crowd and left the President fuming. However DailyMail.com revealed that Parscale was also subject to an internal audit investigating claims that as much as $40million went missing from Trump's 2020 re-election campaign

Parscale was a web designer with no interest in politics when he first received an email from the Trump Organization in 2011 asking him to pitch a design for a website hawking a real estate scheme.

More projects followed and in 2015 Parscale received another email telling him Trump was thinking about running for president and needed a campaign website in two days.

'So I wrote back and said, 'Yeah, I'll do it for $1,500,'' Parscale told 60 Minutes in 2017.

By the end of the election season, Parscale had seen more than $94million in campaign contributions flow through one of his companies that engineered Trump's controversial online election marketing.

By then, Parscale, considered particularly close to the President's son-in-law Jared Kushner, was one of a handful of people allowed to tweet on Trump's behalf.

In the wake of the 2016 election, Parscale, a father-of-one, sold Giles-Parscale, his original digital web company, to CloudCommerce for $10million, including $9million in stocks.

Parscale and his wife own three swish Fort Lauderdale condos, worth a combined $5million, and have at least $300,000 worth of cars, including a 2017 Ferrari, a Range Rover and a BMW X6.

Speaking to DailyMail.com in August 2019, he said he was not in the slightest bit apologetic about his wealth.

'I make no secret about the fact that working for the Trump family made me a wealthy man well before I ever became President Trump's campaign manager,' Parscale said.

'The President is an excellent businessman and being associated with him for years has been extremely beneficial to my family.'