Joni Ernst, Campaign Finance Lawbreaker?

We've heard the names of the most vulnerable Republican Senators in 2020: Gardner of Colorado, Collins of Maine, and McSally of Arizona are the most frequently mentioned. Hog-castrating Trump enabler Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa is running scared, too, with Trump's approval numbers in her state well underwater. So what do Rethugs do when they're running scared? They cheat.

The Associated Press is reporting that Ernst may be the beneficiary of a "dark money" scheme to raise money and campaign for her.

"Iowa Values, a political nonprofit that is supposed to be run independently, was co-founded in 2017 by Ernst’s longtime consultant, Jon Kohan. It shares a fundraiser, Claire Holloway Avella, with the Ernst campaign. And a condo owned by a former aide — who was recently hired to lead the group — was used as Iowa Values’ address at a time when he worked for her." (our emphasis)

The key point is these non-profits aren't supposed to coordinate with any candidate, but there's evidence that Ernst's campaign is violating that bright line:

"Political nonprofits are often referred to as “dark money” groups because they can raise unlimited sums and are not required to reveal their donors. But they must take steps to keep their activities separate from the candidates they support. Additionally, while such tax-exempt groups can do political work, they can’t make it their primary purpose.

The documents reviewed by the AP, including emails and a strategy memo, not only make clear that the group’s aim is securing an Ernst win in 2020, but they also show Ernst and her campaign worked in close concert with Iowa Values." (our emphasis)

If the matter of campaign finance cheating is pursued, it would likely fall to the Federal Election Commission to rule, and the FEC has long been paralyzed by Rethug mischief. But Ernst has been around long enough to know campaign finance law. So the takeaway is that she's aware and supportive of "Iowa Values," and if cheating on campaign finances is Iowa values, Iowa voters might be surprised to hear that.

(photo: Joni Ernst clearly has some pigs behind her)