The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board has dismissed two complaints about how Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has taken free flights on private jets — with the cost of those nine flights covered by individuals and reported as donations to Reynolds’ campaign. Board chairman James Albert says former Democratic Governors Tom Vilsack and Chet Culver went on private flights, paid for with “in-kind” campaign contributions by a donor.
Des Moines attorney Gary Dickey filed one of the complaints. He accuses the board of ignoring the true value of the flight Reynolds took to see the Cyclone football team play last December.
The board indicated it hasn’t made its own calculations about the fair market value of plane rides. The board’s legal counsel suggested corporations and individuals would face tax consequences for under-valuing the costs of flights that wind up being claimed as campaign donations.
