Governor Reynolds’ Continued Use of Private Planes from Corporate Donors Has Found Herself in Front of Iowa Ethics Board
As Governor Reynolds and her campaign prepares for an ethics board hearing today, here’s a quick recap of her history with private planes and corporate donors:

Last week, a report from the Associated Press revealed that Governor Reynolds accepted a private flight supposedly provided by Sedgwick’s CEO Dave North.

In addition to their CEO being one of Governor Reynolds’ top donors, Sedgwick administers workers’ compensation claims filed by injured Iowa executive branch employees, and benefited from a law change backed by Reynolds in 2017, reducing benefits for injured workers.

Governor Reynolds recent private plane exploits led to a satire column from the Cedar Rapids Gazette – A MUST READ – that might have hit a little too close to home for the Reynolds campaign:

At that moment, the cockpit door opens, abruptly, to reveal a young campaign staffer, pale as a ghost. 

“Does anyone know how to fly this campaign?” the staffer asks, voice quivering. 

“Whaddya mean fly? We’ve got pilots. We borrowed this jet from a casino mogul. Or was it a workers’ compensation executive? Or maybe it’s an ethanol plane. I lose track. Anyway, we’ve got rich guys with jets and pilots on speed dial, kid.”

And even Republicans are criticizing Governor Reynolds’ unethical private plane use. WATCH: HERE.

Craig Robinson:“It does not look good when you are flying on a jet of a corporation that does business directly with the state…”
“Don’t go to a vendor of the state, because I do think that looks bad…I don’t like it.”

This isn’t the first time Governor Reynolds has found herself in the middle of a private plane scandal. In 2017, the AP reported Reynolds toured the state following her inauguration in a private jet owned by casino magnate Gary Kirke. Kirke was lobbying for state approval for a project at the time.

“In the last few weeks Governor Reynolds has made headline after headline showing the people of Iowa not only does she not share our own values, but is the kind of politician beholden to special interest groups and her election efforts above all else,” said Democratic Party Chair Troy Price.

“Whether that money is coming from the private MCOs managing her disastrous privatization of Medicaid program or corporate donors with millions of dollars worth of contracts in front of the state, Governor Reynolds has made it clear if you throw enough money and favor her way, she’ll reward you with state dollars. Iowans deserve better.”

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