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Iowa Senator: “Governor Branstad, you are not the victim”

Senator Schoenjahn takes a pen from Governor Terry Branstad during the signing  of a bill on dyslexia earlier this month
Senator Schoenjahn takes a pen from Governor Terry Branstad during the signing of a bill on dyslexia earlier this month

Personal point on the floor of the Iowa Senate, by Senator Brian Schoenjahn of Arlington, member of the Senate Oversight Committee

Governor Branstad, when mistakes are made, Iowans expect their governor to do more than point fingers at a news conference.

Governor, when this all started, you said the hush money scandal shocked you.

You said you would find out what happened.

So far five of your top people have spoken to the Oversight Committee.

And each and every one denied knowing about the hush money payments.

Why then, Governor, are you so desperate to shut down the investigation?

Don’t you, like the rest of us, want to know who approved the payments and why?

Governor, in every one of these scandals you’ve responded the same way: deny and deflect.

And, in every case, you go after the whistleblowers.

Governor Branstad, you are not the victim.

You play the victim while the real victims are state workers bullied and harassed sexually by incompetent managers—and then fired and blacklisted when they blow the whistle!

That’s what happened at the Iowa Veterans Home and the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.

You play the victim when the real victims are the engineers, architect, and project managers. They were in charge of hundreds of millions in state contracts, and were apparently fired and replaced by friends of your political supporters—and then offered hush money not to tell anyone about it.

You play the victim when the real victims are unemployed Iowans going before judges, under pressure, from your director to deny Iowans the unemployment benefits they paid for and deserve.

Governor, you’re not the victim.

Here’s my advice: Stop panicking. Get out of the defensive crouch.

Your strategy of massive resistance and complete denial is failing.

There is plenty of time to face the music, take your lumps, and fix the problems these scandals have exposed.

A final piece of advice — and this comes from Mark Twain, “When in doubt, tell the truth.”

httpv://youtu.be/4XRHx0CNrow

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