The Iowa Senate’s Ethics Committee has failed to agree on how to handle the complaint a Quad Cities attorney filed over a state senator’s social media post, so no action will be taken.
Republican Senator Scott Webster of Bettendorf took a screen shot of a constituent’s email that criticized the GOP and posted it on his Facebook page. Jennifer Olsen said Webster included the contact information for her law office and she’s been harassed and threatened. Senator Lynn Evans and the other two Republicans on the panel voted to dismiss her complaint, saying Webster did not share Olsen’s private information and voluntarily removed it. “In fact, he specifically mentions in his post his belief in respectful political discourse,” Evans said.
Senator Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport, said Webster’s Facebook post subjected to Olsen to intimidation and harassment, including a threatening phone call to her law office. “Those posting unquestionably caused both personal and professional harm,” Winckler said.
Winckler and the other two Democrats on the panel voted to have the senate reprimand Webster. Since the panel deadlocked — three to three — the complaint has been tabled.
