Democrats in the Iowa Senate say Republican Governor Terry Branstad’s top aides and others in the Department of Administrative Services need to testify before legislators and reveal what they knew and were told about the “hush money” payments to laid off state workers. Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says since the now-fired Department of Administrative Services director insists he was misled by his staff, legislators need to find out which staff members were involved.

Two weeks ago Branstad told reporters his executive team told him there had been no additional cash offers to keep exit settlements secret.

And McCoy suggests the laid off workers who were telling the truth about the “hush money for silence” deserve an apology from those who accused them of lying.