NOTE: This piece was originally published at our Substack newsletter A Public Witness.
How do you respond if the world’s wealthiest man attacks your church? If you’re a Republican politician, the answer might be by refusing to talk about it.
On Wednesday (Feb. 5), Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appeared in the U.S. Capitol to testify before a House Oversight Committee hearing on government efficiency. Claiming that “Iowa was doing DOGE before DOGE was a thing,” Reynolds talked about her measures to restructure state government and praised new federal efforts led by Elon Musk to dismantle government programs. But her appearance went sideways when she faced questions from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois. He asked her a simple question about whether she thought the Lutheran church or Lutheran Family Service charities were engaged in money laundering. The governor of the Hawkeye State — who is a Lutheran — repeatedly attempted to DODGE the question.
Screengrab as Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds testifies during a U.S. House Oversight Committee in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2025.
The controversy started when disgraced former Lt. General Michael Flynn claimed on Musk’s X platform that various Lutheran charities were running “a money laundering operation.” Alongside his rant, Flynn posted a screenshot of grants received by Lutheran organizations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Then, the world’s wealthiest man, Musk, affirmingly shared Flynn’s allegation, adding, “The DOGE team is rapidly shutting down these illegal payments.” Neither Flynn nor Musk shared any actual evidence of wrongdoing by the targeted Lutheran charities.
Given the broadside against Lutherans, Krishnamoorthi asked Iowa’s governor about the charge since she was praising Musk’s work and represents a state with a significant Lutheran population. Her refusal to defend Lutherans quickly sparked controversy among Lutherans in her state and attempts by her to stop the self-inflicted political damage. All this is quite telling for understanding how some politicians are prioritizing politics and religion today. So this issue of A Public Witness treks to Iowa to consider the controversy blowing across the state.
Let Your ‘No’ Be ‘No’
During the House hearing in which Gov. Reynolds appeared, an aide for Rep. Krishnamoorthi held up a poster with tweets from Musk and Flynn. Krishnamoorthi noted that Flynn claimed Lutheran charities were engaging in “a money laundering operation.” Krishnamoorthi then gave Reynolds an opportunity to defend Lutherans. Here’s the exchange (although it should be noted she kept talking as he interjected to repeat his question):
Krishnamoorthi: Governor, you don’t believe that the Lutheran church or Lutheran Family Service is a money laundering operation, correct? Reynolds: Look, I can tell you that in Iowa, the taxpayers of Iowa hold me personally responsible and accountable for state government, just as they hold President Trump accountable for… Krishnamoorthi: The Lutheran Church is not a money laundering operation, right? Reynolds: …the United States. And the election that we just went through, I think… Krishnamoorthi: Ma’am, Des Moines, Iowa, is the home to the largest Lutheran congregation in the United States… Reynolds: …Iowans overwhelmingly, uh… Krishnamoorthi: Is the Lutheran church a money laundering operation? Reynolds: Listen… Krishnamoorthi: Of course, not! Reynolds: First of all, every program should be looked and that’s what we're trying to do. You have to look, I looked at 800… Krishnamoorthi: Okay, the Lutheran church has some connection to money laundering, is that what you're suggesting? Reynolds: I’m not saying that, but I said every… Krishnamoorthi: It’s a yes or no question... Reynolds: It’s not a yes or no question. Krishnamoorthi: …is it a money laundering operation? Reynolds: I can’t speak to that. Krishnamoorthi: You can’t speak to that? Oh, my God.
Some media coverage of the hearing noted the exchange and highlighted how Lutherans are a significant part of Iowa’s population. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the largest Protestant denomination in the state and the second-largest religious group after the Catholic Church. (Despite the word “evangelical” in the group’s name, the ELCA is one of “seven sisters” of the mainline Protestant world that have historically had a lot of political and cultural influence.) Additionally, the fourth-largest group in Iowa is the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which is a smaller, more conservative, and evangelical branch of the Lutheran tradition.
News coverage generally left out another detail, which I had highlighted on social media during the hearing: Reynolds is a Lutheran. In fact, she is a member of the largest Lutheran church — the one which Krishnamoorthi referenced as he tried to get her to answer the question.
That church was long-affiliated with the ELCA, and was known as the largest and fastest-growing ELCA church (as well as the largest church in Iowa). However, the church and the denomination parted ways last July as the church has evolved into a multi-campus megachurch. The removal of Lutheran Church of Hope from the ELCA came after months of conversations with the senior pastor about the hiring of several pastors who are not ELCA ministers according to requirements in the ELCA’s constitution. Lutheran Services in Iowa is still a mission partner of the Lutheran Church of Hope, and one of LSI’s leaders is listed as an active member of the congregation.
So if Reynolds has tithed, there’s a good chance she’s sent funds to the organization she couldn’t say was a money laundering operation or not. Additionally, she’s previously praised LSI on social media and thanked them for their work. As the old quip goes, there’s a reason why Profiles in Courage is a thin book.
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Iowa Lutherans Nail Reynolds
After Reynolds refused to defend Lutherans from Musk and Flynn, some Iowa Lutherans decided that they must stand, for they could do no other. The three ELCA bishops in Iowa released a joint statement the day after Reynolds’s hearing appearance to forcefully reject the allegations made by Musk and Flynn.
“The claims that these federal grants are illegal or that these federal grants are connected in any way to money laundering are complete lies. The falsehoods strike at the heart of our caring institutions and cast doubt on every Lutheran’s integrity,” the bishops wrote. “Shutting down federal grant payments puts Lutheran Services in Iowa employees and their families at risk along with the clients and families that rely on the array of services provided, including early childhood education and parental support, mental health counseling, behavioral health interventions for adolescents, services for people living with disabilities, foster care and adoption services, and resettlement accompaniment and services for legally present immigrants and refugees.”
One of the three, Bishop Amy Current of the Southeastern Iowa Synod, offered even stronger words — albeit with a Midwest Lutheran nice tone — in a local TV interview. She called the money laundering allegation “ridiculous” and “untrue.” She also criticized similar comments by Vice President J.D. Vance against the Catholic Church, and she defended Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde amid attacks after Budde urged Trump to “have mercy” on LGBTQ children and undocumented immigrants.
“One of the commandments is ‘Do not bear false witness against your neighbor,’” Current added. “Elon Musk and Vice President Vance are bearing false witness.”
The head of Lutheran Services in Iowa also defended her organization and noted how they’ve passed every audit and examination of their work. And an Iowa-based t-shirt company known for humorous shirts released a new design making fun of the allegations. The shirts declare, “Just Another Member of the Lutheran Crime Syndicate,” adding, “A Diabolical Group Strengthening Communities.”
Screengrab of Raygun’s new Lutheran t-shirt.
Some Democratic lawmakers were even more forceful in their criticism of Reynolds. State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, who is also an ELCA minister, went to the floor of the Iowa Senate to criticize the governor’s behavior as “shocking.”
“She would not give a direct answer to a simple question. She was unwilling to shut down the baseless and harmful accusations,” Trone Garriott said. “There are hundreds of Lutheran congregations, thousands of Lutherans in this state that work together through local and international efforts to live out their faith Christian values: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, protecting the vulnerable.”
Trone Garriott also joined four other Democratic state senators in issuing an open letter to Reynolds. The senators called the money laundering allegations “patently false and downright shameful.” Noting that the state government also has contracts with targeted Lutheran charities, the senators argued that if Reynolds actually believed the groups were engaged in money laundering, then she would not have approved those contracts.
“Leadership demands moral courage over political expediency,” they wrote. “Your failure to defend Lutheran service agencies against these baseless attacks demonstrates a troubling absence of such courage.”
“To suggest that Iowa’s Lutheran community — who run food pantries, shelter the homeless, and support refugee families — secretly operate a criminal enterprise would be laughable if it weren’t so deeply offensive and dangerous,” the senators added. “Is your administration so beholden to extremist elements that you cannot defend a Lutheran organization that has served Iowans faithfully for generations?”
The senators demanded a public statement from the governor to defend “the integrity of these organizations” and explain why she “failed to counter these slanderous claims.” Their request would be partially met.
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Tossed To & Fro
After the exchange between Reynolds and Krishnamoorthi, I reached out to the governor’s office to ask if Reynolds wished to defend the work of Lutheran charities in Iowa. A spokesperson for the governor responded last week with a statement that skirted around my question.
“The Trump Administration is doing a top to bottom review of where the federal government is sending your tax dollars, and Governor Reynolds supports that. We’ve already seen examples of clear abuse and waste,” Mason Mauro, deputy communications director for the governor’s office, told me. “Governor Reynolds knows Iowa Lutheran Services provides good charitable services for those who need it, and she expects that will be borne out as the review process continues.”
The statement did praise Lutheran Services in Iowa but in a way that missed what’s actually happening. Musk did not start a “review process” for LSI and other Lutheran charities. He already announced his verdict, judging the Lutheran groups as guilty of receiving “illegal payments.”
Given the governor’s attempt to have it both ways, I reached out to another Lutheran Republican politician in Iowa. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is a member of a church that’s still affiliated with the ELCA. But her office responded with an even weaker statement.
“Senator Ernst supports DOGE in its mission to scrutinize how tax dollars are spent, eliminate waste, and downsize government,” reads the full statement that an Ernst spokesperson sent me.
Even when directly asked, Ernst’s office wouldn’t support her own church’s charities. And it’s not like she’s unfamiliar with them. She previously tweeted praise of Lutheran Services in Iowa while visiting one of their locations as a senator and welcomed LSI leaders to her D.C. office.
During a press conference on Monday (Feb. 10), Reynolds finally offered a word of support for Lutheran charities.
“I want to be clear this morning that I absolutely do not think that Lutheran Services is a money laundering organization. They provide a whole host of charitable services to hundreds of thousands of people. And it’s not just refugee resettlements,” she said. “They do mental health work. They do foster care work. They make sure that our kiddos have the resources that they need to be successful. I have worked with them for years. They celebrate their 160th anniversary this year. We’re going to be a part of it. I’m going to do a proclamation.”
However, even as she gave a strong defense of Lutheran Services in Iowa, Reynolds made inaccurate excuses for her failure to defend them from Musk’s attacks during the House hearing. She claimed the hearing was so long that “you tune out the question” and “don’t actually hear what they’re asking.” She also complained about being hit with “a political question or a gotcha question” She added that she “was taken out of context.” But her exchange with Rep. Krishnamoorthi wasn’t taken out of context because she clearly heard the question and refused to give a defense of Lutherans.
But Reynolds wasn’t finished trying to explain it away. After praising Lutheran Services in Iowa on Monday, she then praised DOGE. And she again tried to frame Musk’s comments as starting a review instead of acknowledging that Musk had already judged the Lutheran charities as guilty.
“What I was trying to say is that you can’t start a holistic, complete review of government by taking things off of the table. That doesn’t work, you don’t make change, and you don’t do disruptive things when you start deciding who it’s going to apply to and who it’s not,” she said. “I would say that Lutheran Services with this review, they will underscore the great work that they have been doing, and that will come out in the report. But there is a lot of fraud and misuse of funds that is happening at a bureaucracy that’s that bloated and grown.”
Reynolds and Ernst want to have it both ways. But one cannot support Lutheran charities and Musk’s DOGE. If the world’s wealthiest man continues to slander religious nonprofits serving vulnerable people, then praising both sides doesn’t work. Much as Jesus warned that we cannot serve two masters but must choose between Mammon and God, Reynolds, Ernst, and other politicians will have to pick between the profits and the prophets.
As a public witness,
Brian Kaylor
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