Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican Senate candidate in Iowa, has accepted nearly $90,000 in donations from individuals named in the Epstein files, including Howard Lutnick, Stephen Schwarzman, and Marc Rowan. Hinson's campaign finance records indicate that she received $30,500 during the time she worked to delay the release of these files. The donations were distributed across her current Senate campaign, two congressional campaigns, and two political action committees (PACs) she sponsors.
Schwarzman, a co-founder of Blackstone, was mentioned 23 times in the Epstein files and donated a total of $26,500 to Hinson's campaigns and PACs. Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management, donated $7,000 to Hinson's campaign and was named 389 times in the files. Lutnick, who has a documented relationship with Epstein, contributed over $12,000 to Hinson's congressional campaigns.
Hinson did not sign a discharge petition that would have forced a vote on the release of the Epstein files, stating that the approach was incorrect. The Iowa Democratic Party criticized her for accepting donations from wealthy individuals linked to Epstein, suggesting that she prioritizes these donors over her constituents. Hinson has not publicly commented on the matter.