Brenna Findley Calls on Iowa AG Tom Miller to Return Thousands in DeCoster Donations (Update: Miller Complies)

From Brenna Findley’s campaign:

Republican nominee for Attorney General, Brenna Findley called upon Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller to explain his ties to habitual violator Jack DeCoster and Peter DeCoster. Jack DeCoster is the only person in Iowa ever to be branded a ‘habitual violator’.

Attorney General Miller has claimed that the ‘habitual violator’ classification worked and that it ‘opened up lines of communication’ with the DeCoster family. However, Miller failed to explain why he accepted a donation of $10,000 on December 28, 2005, after DeCoster’s habitual violator status expired, even though Miller did not have an opponent in 2006.

Republican nominee Brenna Findley, who will clean up state government, issued the following statement:

“Justice is not for sale in this state, and habitual violators should not be allowed pollute our politics. The DeCosters created this mess, and Iowans are stuck with cleaning it up, and we’re a national embarrassment as a result. It is time for Tom Miller to step up, finally do the right thing, and return the thousands he received from habitual violator Jack DeCoster.

The Attorney General still has not explained the nature of his relationship with the DeCosters. DeCoster gave Miller’s campaign a $10,000 Christmas present late in 2005, even though no one was running against him.

It is shocking that Miller would accept $10,000 from the DeCosters. Iowans deserve to know what is going on. Iowans deserve an open and transparent political process, free of backscratching and special deals.

It is time to clean house and bring a new crew to the Attorney General’s office. As your Attorney General I will bring honesty, openness and integrity to state government to put an end to the Culture of Corruption in Des Moines.

I will work as your legal watchdog to protect Iowans and hold all accountable. Everyone is equal before the law.”

Update: Attorney General Tom Miller complies, but he should have done it on his own without pressure.

2 comments

Jeff says:
August 30, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Decoster is a ‘habitual violator’ of what?
1. Shane Vander Hart says:
  August 30, 2010 at 3:33 pm
  From CNBC:
  Peter DeCoster, the son of Wright County Egg owner Austin "Jack" DeCoster, made the $10,000 donation to Miller on Dec. 28, 2005. The donation came after a 2000 agreement between the state and Jack DeCoster, in which he agreed to be labeled a "habitual offender," a designation intended to prevent him from opening any new farms for about four years. He earlier had been repeatedly fined for environmental violations, many of them involving hog waste.