Fourth Complaint Filed As Ernst *Still* Refuses to Answer Basic Questions About Dark Money Ties

Ernst Attacking Greenfield But Refusing to Answer Questions & “Has Not Offered Evidence to Contradict the AP’s Reporting” on Potentially Illegal Conduct

It’s been 82 days since the explosive Associated Press investigation revealed how Senator Joni Ernst and her campaign may have broken campaign finance law with their “undeniable” ties to a shady dark money group, but Senator Ernst still has not answered basic questions about conduct that “potentially violates the law.” Now, a fourth complaint has been filed against the organization set up by her top aides, which campaign finance and tax experts say “may violate its tax-exempt status” by being dedicated to propping up Ernst.

Senator Ernst is the third-most unpopular senator in the county and polling has shown that when voters learn about her ethical conflicts, she loses even more support. Theresa Greenfield has made combating corruption a central focus of her campaign for U.S. Senate, and last week introduced a “detailed policy proposal” to restore trust in our democracy. Read Theresa’s plan here.

Read more about the latest allegations against Senator Ernst’s dark money group:

Iowa Starting Line: IRS Complaint Filed Against Group Backing Joni Ernst

By Elizabeth Meyer

February 26, 2020

Key Points:

• In addition to the complaints filed with the Federal Election Commission, the Internal Revenue Service also has been asked to investigate potential ties between Sen. Joni Ernst’s reelection campaign and the “dark money” group Iowa Values.

• End Citizens United, a political action committee dedicated to ridding politics of unlimited corporate financing, submitted an IRS complaint today stating that Iowa Values “falsely registered as a social welfare nonprofit because it solely exists to elect Senator Ernst and does not promote any social welfare.”

• The complaint, signed by ECU president and executive director Tiffany Muller, details the connections between Iowa Values and Ernst’s reelection campaign, as first reported on Dec. 6, 2019, by The Associated Press.

• Ernst’s team has denied any illegal contact between Iowa Values and the campaign, but has not offered evidence to contradict the AP’s reporting.

• In one instance reported by the AP, Ernst appeared to introduce a donor to Iowa Values’ fundraiser, who then reached out, referencing that introduction, to request $50,000 to help messaging efforts in support of Ernst.

• “Publicly available information suggests that Iowa Values’ activities are directed and controlled by several of Ernst’s closest allies. Some of these operatives’ firms were being paid by the Ernst Committees at the same time that they were founding and operating Iowa Values,” the complaint states. “The extensive overlap between Iowa Values and the Ernst Committees raises serious concerns about the reason for the nonprofit’s establishment, and whether it is operating for a legitimate social welfare purpose or the private benefit of Ernst and her allies.”

• “We have reason to believe that Iowa Values is not properly organized under section 501 (c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code because its primary purpose is to participate in the 2020 election for U.S. Senate in Iowa on behalf of Senator Joni Ernst, and not to promote social welfare,” the complaint states.

Read the full story here.

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