Des Moines Register | February 2, 2022

"U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne has begun accepting donations from corporate political committees after swearing them off in previous campaigns. 

According to her most recent fundraising report, Axne has accepted about $36,000 worth of donations from political action committees, or PACs, representing corporations including Archer Daniels Midland Company and Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company. The donations range from $1,000 to $5,000. 

[...]

Axne previously was among a group of Democrats who had sworn off corporate PAC donations in an attempt to show they can't be bought by businesses seeking to influence legislation. 

Even so, corporate interests have found numerous ways to funnel money to politicians — often through the PACs representing trade associations and professional organizations — without making the kinds of direct donations Democrats had rejected. 

Democrats broadly have decried the use of 'dark money' in politics, or money that is spent by nonprofits that are not required to disclose their donors. But a recent analysis by The New York Times found that Democrats benefited from the use of dark money during the 2020 election cycle at least as much, or often more than, their Republican counterparts."

Read the full story here. 

Axne used to rail against her opponent for taking corporate PAC money, but now her tune has conveniently changed.

"Cindy Axne is a hypocrite and she knows it. She hoped this information wouldn't come out, but now Iowans can see that she has just become a member of the swamp," said Republican Party of Iowa Communications Director Kollin Crompton. "These bold face flip-flops are inexcusable. Every Iowan should be demanding answers from Axne today."

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