Iowa auditor accuses GOP legislature of retaliation against him for criticizing college athletic director

Iowa's Democratic state auditor, Rob Sand, is accusing the state Republicans of introducing legislation to strip him of his power in retaliation for his criticism of the University of Iowa athletic director, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported on Thursday.

"Sand voted Monday against approving a discrimination lawsuit settlement against the university unless Athletics Director Gary Barta is fired or resigns. On Tuesday, Iowa Senate Republicans amended a bill to strip numerous powers from the auditor’s office," reported Robin Opsahl. "'It’s either partisan, or it’s anger about the Barta situation, or it’s both,' Sand said. 'But again, this is what I want to emphasize: what their motivations are — what their motivations are we don’t need to understand, to understand how dangerous that this bill is.'"

Sand was the sole vote on an appeal board against approving the $4.17 million settlement, arguing that Barta needs to be out of office before it should go forward — a position that, he argues, the legislature is trying to punish him for.

"Senate File 478 would restrict the state auditor’s ability to access information including income tax returns, medical records, academic information and 'other similar information that an individual would reasonably expect to be kept private,'" said the report. "An amendment offered by the bill’s floor manager, Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, also would prevent the auditor from accessing criminal identification files from law enforcement agencies or law enforcement officers’ investigative reports and communication records if that information is part of an ongoing investigation."

Under the bill, the auditor could only get this information "if they prove to the agency being audited that the information is necessary to conduct the audit" — which, Sand noted, would be a clear conflict of interest, putting the agency being investigated in charge of whether it has to turn over information to aid the investigation.

The proposal, Sand said, is the “single most pro-corruption bill that has ever come out of the Iowa Legislature.”

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Christians clash as extremists move into Idaho – and 'very frightened population' moves out