Iowa Republicans go after Bob Vander Plaats' judicial jihad; governor's spokesman rejects his assertions; former Lieutenant Governor tells him to 'come clean' and release donor names

Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa reported on the press conference by Justice Not Politics' Republican attorney Dan Moore who once served as treasurer for one of Vander Plaats' three unsuccessful campaigns for Iowa governor.

“Mr. Vander Plaats needs to provide straight answers and stop purveying misinformation about Iowa’s judiciary,” Moore said at a news conference in Des Moines. “Bob needs to stop conveying political rhetoric. Bob needs to acknowledge his efforts are to make the courts cede to special interests, not the constitution.”

Vander Plaats led the successful effort to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices in the 2010 judicial retention election, then he became chief executive of The Family Leader late last year, a group that has been at the center of the crusade against gay marriage in Iowa. Moore cited a recent Des Moines Register poll which found 45 percent of Iowans “disapprove” of Vander Plaats and his agenda and Moore suggested Vander Plaaats is “out of touch” with the “real issues” Iowans face.

... Moore said “I think where my friend Bob has crossed the line for me is now the senseless and reckless attacks on the remaining four justices on the Iowa Supreme Court.” Three days after the November election Vander Plaats began calling for the four justices to resign.

...Former Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning, who is also a Republican, has called upon Vander Plaats to “come clean” and release the names of donors to the effort to oust supreme court justices. Neither Vander Plaats or a spokesman for The Family Leader have responded to requests for comment.

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Yesterday, Vander Plaats, also in Des Moines on a Family Leader bus tour of 99 Iowa counties, voiced implied criticism of fellow Republican and current governor Terry Branstad: "Within six hours, without even sleeping on it, we had three appointments," he said, arguing that it meant nearly half of the seven-member court was picked with almost no public debate.

The governor's spokesman, Tim Albrecht, rejected Vander Plaats' assertions.

"Branstad's goal was to choose Supreme Court justices, from the available slate of nine candidates, who are most likely to faithfully interpret the laws and Constitution and respect the separation of powers," Albrecht said.