Rob Taylor
A man who has sometimes registered as a statehouse lobbyist was called a “liar” and “immoral,” but the House Ethics Committee has dismissed a complaint against Iowa Gun Owners executive director Aaron Dorr.
The complaint alleged Dorr was telling members of his group that he was lobbying lawmakers, but while Dorr has registered as a lobbyist in the past, he did not this year.
“Whether we like it or not, we have to dismiss this case,” Representative Rob Taylor of West Des Moines, the House Ethics Committee chairman, said during the panel’s deliberations.
That’s because Dorr gave documents to the committee saying he had not been designated as a lobbyist for Iowa Gun Owners and wasn’t being paid to be its executive director. Taylor said unless the committee decided to issue a subpeona for Dorr’s tax returns and bank records, they’ll have to accept that explanation.
“Just because somebody may or may not be a liar does not mean that they’re acting in an unethical way,” Taylor said. “They’re acting in an immoral way.”
The six-member House Ethics Committee unanimously voted to dismiss the complaint against the Iowa Gun Owners executive director. Dorr has been criticized on a few occasions during debate in the Iowa House, most recently last month as the House was preparing to vote on the expansive gun rights bill that became law.
“Aaron Dorr is a scam artist and a liar and he is doing Iowans no services and no favors. I feel better now,” Representative Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley, getting applause from other members of the House.
Dorr did not attend today’s House Ethics Committee. Dorr is at his son’s baseball game and is not immediately available for comment. Iowa Gun Owners bills itself as “Iowa’s only ‘No compromise’ gun rights organization.’