DES MOINES – Iowa Campaign Ethics and Disclosure Board Executive Director Megan Tooker and Chairman James Albert rebutted the false attacks against Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate published in an Associated Press article on Tuesday. Tooker said it would not be appropriate to single out Secretary Paul Pate and hold him to a higher standard than other elected officials.

"As the Ethics Board's executive director, I strive every day to treat every person within the Ethics Board's jurisdiction the same, regardless of political party or whether there is a pending complaint or a media inquiry. Since I am not requiring other filers to provide more detail for their real estate or other sources of income, I do not think it would be appropriate to single out Secretary Pate and hold him to a different standard simply because I received a media inquiry," Tooker said in a statement.

Tooker added that she spoke with Professor James Albert, chairman of the Iowa Campaign Ethics and Disclosure Board, and "he agreed with me that Secretary Pate's disclosure was not out of the norm in its level of specificity".

Furthermore, Tooker refuted insinuations from Associated Press reporter Ryan Foley that Secretary Pate's disclosure form was not in compliance with Iowa Code. "His personal financial disclosure statement is comparable in the level of detail to many other statements that are filed with the Ethics Board and with the legislature. In my opinion, Secretary Pate's statement is not false or fraudulent."

Tooker's entire statement can be found here.

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