Special Edition: Reporter’s Notebook

A closer look at the people, records, and political histories shaping Iowa’s 2026 races.

Three weeks ago, I published a story that started, like a lot of these things do, with a spreadsheet. I’d pulled US Rep. Ashley Hinson’s campaign finance filings, cross-referencing them against a list of donors named in the Jeffrey Epstein files. What came back: nearly $90,000 from three billionaires tied to Epstein—US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, and Apollo’s Marc Rowan.

Some of that money—about $30,000 of it—landed in her accounts while she was declining to sign the discharge petition that would’ve forced a House vote to release those files.

I published it. Like most stories, I figured it would live the life most accountability stories live: read by a few thousand people, maybe cited in some other reporting, but actually moving the needle?

One day, my phone started buzzing. A friend who is pretty handy with clipping began sending me cuts of a telephone town hall—one of those call-in events with the 20-second audio delay and the automated “we’re unmuting your line now.” Several Iowans used their turn not to ask about the weather. Margaret. Tim. Randy. George. Every one of them pressed Hinson on the same question: Did you try to keep the Epstein files sealed?

Those Iowans didn’t contact me before or after the town hall. Maybe they came to the news doing campaign finance work of their own. But watching four Iowans use a tightly controlled, corporate-format—something I’d argue is built to keep this kind of thing from happening—to drill the same question. It made me think about something I believe and do not say enough:

The story is only half the job.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, greets audience members during a campaign rally, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Here’s what my reporting found:

As of now, no crimes have been charged in connection with these men. Campaign donations from wealthy people fuel modern campaigns. 

But it is important to note that Hinson was part of an effort that slowed the release of these documents.

That’s the timeline my reporting documented: Money from Epstein-linked donors arrived as Hinson withheld her signature from a bill that would expose more about Epstein-linked donors.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, arrives at a campaign rally with local residents, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

A telephone town hall is not an accident of format. It’s a choice. No cameras. No crowd. No follow-up question from the person standing next to you. Callers get one shot, staff controls the mute button, and there’s enough of a delay that any real exchange gets sanded down before it happens.

And it still didn’t work.

“I saw you didn’t sign that petition for almost two months to discharge it,” said George from Decorah.

Hinson’s answer was to redefine the question.

“A discharge petition is a Democrat floor procedure,” she said. She then pivoted to something about ICE and immigration enforcement.

She would pivot like that twice in response to questions about her Epstein-connected money. Unless you’re watching, pivots like that are hard to catch. But when they’re back-to-back, you begin to see the strategy. It’s why it was interesting to hear the same question asked four times. You can hear it land. 

Reporting doesn’t make people show. But it hands them something to show up with. When I’m doing my part, you’ve got the goods to show up for our state—and I hope—make it a better place for us all.

A few things I’m still watching: Will this Epstein-linked money show up in the debates, press gaggles, in-person events? Forecasters say it’s gonna be a close one. Will this information make a difference? 

I’ll be covering all of it here at Iowa Starting Line. I’ll see you on the trail.

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