Full Breakdown
Iowa Senate Candidate Ashley Hinson’s Ties to Epstein-Linked Donors
7/31/2026, 3:57:26 AM
Campaign Donations from Epstein-Linked Billionaires
Republican U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, the Trump-endorsed candidate for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat, has received nearly $90,000 from a group of billionaire donors whose names appear repeatedly in the Jeffrey Epstein files. The donors include Blackstone co-founder Stephen Schwarzman (mentioned 23 times), Apollo Global Management co-founder Marc Rowan (389 mentions), former Nasdaq chairman Howard Lutnick (141 mentions), private-equity partner Henry Kravis (55 mentions), real-estate magnate John Catsimatidis (70 mentions) and executive Howard Lorber. None of the individuals corresponded directly with Epstein, according to the files.
Hinson’s Role in Delaying the Epstein Files
During the period when Hinson helped block the release of the Epstein documents, her campaigns and affiliated political action committees accepted $30,500 from the listed donors. She declined to sign Rep. Thomas Massie’s discharge petition that would have forced a House vote on the files, arguing that the approach gave Democrats leverage. The petition remained one signature short for two months until Rep. Adelita Grijalva added the final signature in November. All four Iowa Republicans, including Hinson, later voted for the bill when it reached the floor later that month.
Financial Breakdown of Contributions
- Current Senate campaign: roughly $22,000.
- Two prior congressional campaigns: about $29,000.
- Two PACs (Fight On PAC and the Ashley Hinson Victory Committee): over $35,000.
Individual donations include $7,000 each from Schwarzman and Rowan in September, and more than $12,000 total from Lutnick across 2021 and 2023. Schwarzman has contributed over $26,000 since 2021.
Official Responses and Endorsements
President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Hinson in a Truth Social post. Hinson has characterized Massie’s petition strategy as “the wrong way” and has defended her fundraising practices as standard political activity.
