Des Moines — Congressman Tom Latham is ignoring the shadowy past of long-time D.C. insider Fred Malek, as his conservative Super PAC, the American Action Network, pollutes Iowa’s airways with a barrage of negative attack ads distorting Congressman Leonard Boswell’s record.

Malek first gained notoriety on the national level in 1971 when he worked in President Nixon’s administration. His embarrassing claim to fame is his now infamous list of Jewish workers in the Bureau of Labor Statistics. After identifying the Jewish workers, Malek then recommended changing the employment status of those workers.

When these discriminatory actions first came to light in the 1980s, Malek resigned as Deputy Chair of the Republican National Committee, yet Tom Latham is happy to have this Washington insider work for him.

But this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Malek was a pioneer in making Washington work for politicians. After rooting out the Jewish workers in the BLS, Malek moved to Nixon’s re-election campaign in 1972 and was put in charge of the “responsive” program, which, according to the Washington Post, was designed to “to promote Nixon’s reelection by using federal grants, contracts and other means to win political support.”

The decision by Latham’s campaign to turn a blind eye as an organization founded by a person with racist transgressions bombards the airwaves with ads designed to tear down his opponent is just the latest example of Tom Latham prioritizing his career over the concerns of Iowans.

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