FACT CHECK: More Lies From Zach Lahn

FACT CHECK: More Lies From Zach Lahn

DES MOINES, IA — The Lahn campaign is out with another ad filled with more lies as Lahn continues to fail to answer for why he spends more time in Kansas than Iowa and why his running mate is under criminal investigation for defrauding family farmers.

Here are the facts:

Lahn’s False Claim: Rob Sand’s “biggest donor” polluted Iowa drinking water.

The Facts: LGI and its subsidiaries were not accused of polluting drinking water by the Department of Natural Resources.

Lahn’s False Claims: Rob Sand’s “biggest donor” “dumped” pollutants into Iowa water and never reported it.

The Facts: LGI and its subsidiaries were never accused of or cited for dumping of any pollutants, which is an infraction listed in Iowa Code.

Lahn’s False Claims: Rob Sand’s “biggest donor” took millions in taxpayer-funded benefits while never creating any jobs.

The Facts: In the two cases where jobs were not created, LGI ensured taxpayers were not left on the hook by declining or repaying the tax credits. While LGI and its subsidiaries received tax incentives, they also invested nearly $70 million of its own money in Iowa over the last two decades while creating at least 60 jobs. LGI is a third-generation Iowa family business that employs hundreds of Iowans across the state.

Lahn’s False Claims: Rob Sand went “8 years without investigating his donor’s company.”

The Facts: This is further proof of Lahn’s lack of knowledge about Iowa: the State Auditor cannot audit any entity’s receipt of tax credits because they have always been barred from reviewing tax returns. Even if they could, there was no reason to audit this company – one of hundreds that has taken Iowa tax credits – because jobs were actually created and when not, credits were returned. More laughably, these instances occurred in 2011 – eight years before Rob was elected as State Auditor. As State Auditor, Rob Sand has uncovered a record amount of misspent money, the most in state history, before state government insiders – Zach Lahn’s allies – passed a bill to gut the Auditor’s Office.

Lahn’s False Claims: Rob Sand is funded by a company that gave him $13 million, “the most in Iowa history.”

The Facts: Rob Sand has never taken contributions from any corporation, which is against Iowa law. Rob has also never taken corporate PAC money. In fact, the largest political donor in Iowa history is the Republican Governors Association’s giving to Lahn, which has contributed $15.5 million to Lahn’s own campaign.

“While Zach Lahn floods the airwaves with more false attacks and flat-out lies to avoid answering for why he spends more time in Kansas than Iowa, Rob Sand is traveling around the state talking to voters and answering Iowans’ questions as he closes out his 100th public town hall of the year,” said Deputy Campaign Manager Emma O’Brien. “Iowans know they can’t trust a word Zach Lahn says – whether about where he lives and how much time he spends in Iowa, his running mate being criminally investigated, or about any of the lies he tries to spin. Iowans know Rob Sand, and more importantly, they trust him. That’s why they’ll elect him as their next governor in November.”

This latest false attack follows several other news organizations conducting fact checks on Zach Lahn’s false campaign ads, including KCCI, which claimed that Lahn’s ad “omits context” and selectively edited their footage in a misleading way. KCRG has also released fact checks claiming Lahn’s ad “[lack] details,” and that the numbers they provided “[don’t] add up.” PolitiFact ran a piece rating Lahn’s claims that Rob wants to raise taxes by $7,500 “false.”