JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) w/additional info. from RADIO IOWA  — Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration arranged coronavirus testing for employees at the suburban office of a large pork company whose owners are her top donors. One Polk County supervisor says the July 13 testing at the administrative office of Iowa Select Farms in West Des Moines looks like special treatment for a campaign donor. Owners Jeff and Deb Hansen have donated nearly $300,000 to Reynolds’ campaigns for governor, including a $175,000 check in 2017 and a $50,000 donation last month.

Company spokeswoman Jen Sorenson said Iowa Select sought the state’s help with testing after “a number of individuals were found to be potentially exposed to a positive employee.” Reynolds says companies who requested testing were not turned down.

Reynolds says any allegation that her administration played favorites is unjustified. “There’s criteria. You qualify. To my knowledge, nobody was told no,” Reynolds says. “If you called and wanted to try to facilitate a way to get your employees tested so that you could ensure them that they were working in a safe environment, that’s what companies were doing and we were doing everything that we could to facilitate that and I will make no apologies for doing that. None.”

State Auditor Rob Sand has announced he will investigate whether other another donor to the governor secured state testing resources for a company in Waverly, while the state denied the local health department’s request for rapid testing elsewhere in the county. Those allegations were first reported on the Bleeding Heartland blog.