Taylor Co-Hosted Event With Koch-Backed Americans for Prosperity Iowa This Week
Progress Iowa today called on Representative Rob Taylor to recuse himself from any involvement in the ongoing complaint against the state director of Americans for Prosperity Iowa (AFP). The formal complaint against AFP was filed several weeks ago by the Iowa Federation of Labor, alleging that their state director failed to properly to register as a lobbyist until over a month into the legislative session. The AFP state director was very clearly lobbying legislators on behalf of the Koch Brothers-funded AFP, most notably on the collective bargaining bill, even attending the closed-door bill signing and posing for a photo with Governor Terry Branstad.
Representative Rob Taylor will oversee the complaint as the chair of the House Ethics Committee. Earlier this week, Taylor co-hosted a breakfast and policy discussion event with AFP.
“Rob Taylor cannot possibly be trusted to give fair and impartial consideration to this ethics complaint against Americans for Prosperity,” said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa. “Taylor cannot co-host an event with AFP one day and then deliberate on AFP’s ethics complaint the next. He should recuse himself from any involvement, and if he refuses to do so, Speaker Upmeyer should remove him from the ethics committee. Time and again this legislative session, we have seen outside special interest groups with big money influencing legislation. The Koch Brothers and others shouldn’t be allowed to unduly influence the ethics process in the Iowa House.”
Additional Information:
Union official files complaint against lobbyist over status
http://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Union-official-files-complaint-against-lobbyist-over-status-414397493.html
Invitation listing Rep. Taylor as a Co-Host with Americans for Prosperity Iowa
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.progressiowa.org/images/AFPALECEvent.jpg
