Governor blasts Republicans for keeping lawsuit donors quiet

Governor Tom Vilsack says it’s ironic Republican lawmakers are considering keeping the names of financial backers of their lawsuit against him secret, while the U-S Congress is trying to do away with secret donors.Twenty-three Republican legislators sued Vilsack in mid-July over his ban on discrimination against gay and “trans-gender” state workers. Vilsack says he has “no reaction” to the fact the G-O-P lawmakers have hired lawyer Mark McCormick, Vilsack’s democrat opponent in 1998, to press the case.Vilsack says his legal counsel, attorneys in the Iowa Department of Justice and other lawyers on his staff are preparing a brief for the court.Vilsack made his comments during his weekly news conference at the statehouse.