AFP Liaison, Drew Klein, shakes hands with Gov. Branstad
Labor leader, Danny Homan, filed an ethics complaint against the Director of Americans For Prosperity in Iowas as retaliation for supporting legislation that balanced the needs of tax payers with public employees.
Klein has been registered as a lobbyist for years. In order to file positions on legislation and get access to conduct business a lobbyist must be registered.
Homan alleged that Klein did not file before he began to discuss legislation with members during the 2017 session. The AFP Director submitted date-stamped evidence of his filings on legislation and personal browser history to prove that he had been previously registered during this session.
Despite the evidence the House Ethics Committee voted to send a letter of reprimand to Klein. The letter will serve as a warning
Klein issued the following written statement:
“I treat and have treated our state’s ethics rules with the utmost sincerely. I believe that I was registered as a lobbyist in the Iowa legislature at all relevant times, from 2013 to 2017, as required by Iowa Code 68B.36. I presented evidence to the house ethics committee of the dates and times I was registered in the years past, and my browser history that shows I registered for the new legislative session at the beginning of this calendar year. Furthermore, I’ve made numerous public lobbyist declarations in person and through the online system, which first requires one to register as a lobbyist. Put another way, I wouldn’t have been able to make those public lobbyist declarations without having first been registered. I have been transparent about my position on bills, and I have used the legislature’s lobbyist portal system throughout this session. I am disappointed that the ethics committee failed to adequately consider the evidence that was presented to them. I look forward to moving past this to continue advocating for issues that will benefit our state.”
John Thompson is a graduate of West Point and Harvard and a member of the Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee and a candidate for Treasurer of State.
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