Iowa House panel dismisses 'partisan', 'disturbing' ethics complaints against Abby Finkenauer
Iowa House panel dismisses 'partisan', 'disturbing' ethics complaints against Abby Finkenauer
William Petroski, Des Moines Register Published 3:13 p.m. CT Oct. 12, 2018 | Updated 9:29 p.m. CT Oct. 12, 2018
Democrat Abby Finkenauer will face off against Republican Rep. Rod Blum in November in northeast Iowa's 1st Congressional District. Wochit
A bipartisan Iowa House Ethics Committee quickly voted unanimously Friday to dismiss two ethics complaints against state Rep. Abby Finkenauer, and lawmakers from both parties called the allegations partisan and without merit.
Finkenauer, a Dubuque lawmaker, is the Democratic nominee in a heated battle for Congress against U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, a Dubuque Republican, in northeast Iowa's 1st District. The complaints alleged that Finkenauer had misused taxpayer funds to benefit her campaign, but both Republicans and Democrats found no basis that either allegation was true.
"Anybody can make a complaint about anybody else, but I have no time for partisan politics on the Ethics Committee," said Rep. Rob Taylor, R-West Des Moines, who chairs the House Ethics Committee.
Rep. Phyllis Thede, D-Bettendorf, told Taylor she couldn't agree more.
"Our business on the Ethics Committee is to hold everything to a high standard. But when we get complaints like this, this is not what we want to be doing," she said........................................................
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