Ernst Must Immediately Answer if She Knew About or Directed the Admin’s Effort to Shield Her Dark Money Group, Call for End to Interference
In a shocking new development in Senator Joni Ernst’s dark money scandal, yesterday the Trump Administration took a “shady and completely improper move” to try to block a federal court order on Ernst’s dark money group Iowa Values.
The Trump Administration’s effort comes just three days after a federal judge ordered the FEC to take action on Iowa Values, following an FEC complaint from the nonpartisan elections watchdog Campaign Legal Center arguing that the dark money group was illegally working to prop up her re-election campaign.
“With her campaign grasping for any lifeline in the final three weeks of the election, Senator Ernst’s political allies in the highest levels of government took a seemingly corrupt step attempting to block action on her dark money group as it works to boost her re-election,” said Mark Smith, Iowa Democratic Party Chair. “Senator Ernst must immediately answer if she sought or knew about the Trump Administration’s effort to shield her dark money group – and if not, immediately call on the Department of Justice to revoke the court filing and let action be carried out unimpeded.”
Senator Ernst has refused to answer any questions whatsoever on her dark money ties for more than 10 months. In December, an explosive AP investigation uncovered allegedly illegal coordination between Ernst, her campaign, and Iowa Values as they worked in “close concert.” The illegal arrangement faces four independent FEC complaints, and continues in operation to this day.