At a press conference today, the Republican Party of Iowa Chairman, Jeff Kaufmann, announced that they had discovered records indicating that Democratic members of the Iowa House had received thousands of donations appearing to originate from Foreign countries. The donations were made on the progressive donation portal, ActBlue, and were directed to their campaign committees.
“Iowans deserve reassurances that Iowa Democrats are not using a shadowy fundraising scheme as a way to funnel foreign money into our statehouse races,” said Jeff Kaufmann, Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. “Iowa Democrat candidates who accepted this money must be asked about these shady contributions and come clean about where they came from. This kind of suspicious activity is simply unacceptable, and Democrats should not be turning a blind eye.”
The Republican Party of Iowa has compiled a comprehensive list of the questionable donations, but two examples were highlighted in the press conference today.
Iowa House candidate Andrea Phillips running in District 37 has accepted contributions from Isreal, Japan, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Additionally, Jen Pellant running in Iowa House District 16, has accepted contributions from Spain, Germany, India, Singapore, and China. According to the records, Pellant accepted 40 foreign contributions, totaling over $1,000.
This situation has all the hallmarks of a coordinated effort by Democrats to undermine Iowa’s election laws. It raises serious concerns, and Iowa voters deserve to know if they’re turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Iowa campaigns,” said Aaron Britt, Communications Director of the Republican Party of Iowa.
The Republican Party of Iowa has notified the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board of the questionable donations with a complaint that can be read here.