Auditor candidate Taylor Wettach says he’ll work to reverse law limiting audits

“I have experience and understanding to look into those financials, and then as a lawyer, I have experience and understanding to make sure that where there are problems that we do find, we can do something about it,” Wettach said. “So I’m excited to take that background and leverage it.”

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.

In his work as an attorney, Wettach said he’s negotiated complex financial matters involving millions of dollars and “working with some of the best auditors in the country.” He told fairgoers he resigned from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, his former firm, in protest of pressure on the firm from President Donald Trump’s administration “to cut a deal to do $125 million worth of free work in support of their priorities.”

The state auditor’s office is supposed to be an “independent watchdog” in service of Iowans and their tax dollars, Wettach said, a role he added Sand has filled successfully despite efforts from the state to restrict access the office has to information. The Iowa Legislature in 2023 passed a bill, later signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds, that limits the auditor’s office’s ability to access personal information when investigating matters.

Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer, Wettach’s Republican opponent in the state auditor race, did not participate in the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.

One of Wettach’s focuses will be trying to get rid of that law, he said, as well as continuing Sand’s work, including the operation of the Public Innovation Efficiencies program and maintaining the office’s independence.

“With the school voucher program, Rob was still able to pursue an audit of what was going on there,” Wettach said. “Now, did he get all the information he needed to do it in a really fulsome way? No, he didn’t. But he was able to dig in, look at the challenges, and put that forward. So, I think it’s important to note that while we talk about threats to that office in that sort of way, this office can continue to do a lot of good.”

In response to an audience question about the first thing he’ll focus on if he is elected to the auditor position, Wettach said he would turn the office’s eye once again to Education Savings Accounts for non-public schools. He also wants to further expand support from the auditor’s office to rural areas in order to provide resources and services for local citizens trying to fight corruption.

“It’s kind of like primary care versus, you know, expensive treatment … when you already are sick, right,” Wettach said. “If you can provide more support up front for these areas, we’re not going to have all the pain of playing whack-a-mole in the back end, trying to find the problems and fix things when they are already problems.”

If Sand is elected as governor alongside Wettach as auditor, Wettach said he hopes to have a partner in Sand as someone who understands the work of the office and Wettach’s drive to combat fraud, abuse and misuse of Iowa tax funds. However, if Republican Zach Lahn wins the seat rather than Sand, Wettach said that doesn’t mean the auditor’s office won’t be able to get anything done.

It will still be just as important to serve the state as an independent watchdog, he said, and to reverse the law that has somewhat tied the auditor’s hands.

“It shouldn’t matter if the governor is a Democrat or if the governor is a Republican, if I’m elected, I’m going to work to undo that law because that’s how it’s supposed to be done,” Wettach said. “Because the folks in that office deserve to be able to get the information they need to fight for the taxpayer, and that doesn’t matter who’s in charge.”

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE