The Company Miller-Meeks Keeps

Candidates don’t choose campaign surrogates at random. At U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ recent Triple-M Tailgate in Iowa City, two of the national Republicans helping make the case for her reelection were Florida Sen. Rick Scott and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Scott told supporters that Miller-Meeks’ race was critical to maintaining Republican control of Congress. Mullin accused Democrats of deliberately creating “chaos” through immigration policies and called them “communists.” Their appearances also raise questions about the political company Miller-Meeks is choosing to keep.

Rick Scott and the HCA fraud scandal

Before entering politics, Scott was CEO of Columbia/HCA, the massive hospital company that became the subject of what the Justice Department called the most comprehensive health-care fraud investigation it had ever undertaken.

HCA and its subsidiaries ultimately paid approximately $1.7 billion to resolve criminal and civil cases involving false claims, fraudulent Medicare billing, kickbacks and other practices. HCA subsidiaries pleaded guilty to criminal conduct.

Scott was never charged with a crime in the case, and he left the company in 1997, years before the final settlements.

But he had led the company during part of the period examined by federal investigators. That history provides relevant context when Scott is presented to Iowa voters as a prominent supporter of Miller-Meeks, herself a physician.

Markwayne Mullin and Christian nationalism

Mullin brings a different kind of background.

The former Oklahoma senator has maintained a longstanding relationship with City Elders, a Tulsa-based organization identified by researchers and journalists as part of the Christian nationalist movement.

Political Research Associates reported that Mullin had participated in City Elders events for years. At one gathering, Mullin described his early discussions with founder Jesse Leon Rodgers about organizing in communities, including efforts aimed at electing “godly people” to school boards and city councils. City Elders itself promotes establishing the “Kingdom of God” through networks of local political leaders.

That doesn’t establish that Mullin embraces every position promoted by City Elders. But his sustained relationship with the organization and his own comments make the connection more substantial than simply appearing at the same political events.

Mullin at Homeland Security

Mullin’s record since becoming Homeland Security secretary also provides current context. He took office promising a calmer approach to immigration enforcement while continuing the Trump administration’s deportation policies.

That approach faced a major test this summer after three people died during separate encounters with immigration officers in a single week. Mullin temporarily restricted most ICE vehicle stops. After President Trump publicly rejected that approach, Mullin said the two were “on the same page” and enforcement would continue wherever undocumented immigrants were encountered.

ICE enforcement subsequently intensified. Nearly 51,000 arrests were reported in August, a record for Trump’s second term, while congressional scrutiny of civilian deaths involving immigration enforcement has continued.

What does this say about Miller-Meeks?

Miller-Meeks isn’t responsible for the conduct of Scott’s former company. Nor does campaigning with Mullin establish that she shares his relationship with City Elders or its religious-political objectives. But political endorsements aren’t meaningless, either.

Scott and Mullin weren’t incidental guests. They were brought to Iowa to help persuade voters to return Miller-Meeks to Congress. That makes their records fair subjects for examination and raises questions Miller-Meeks could answer herself.

What does she think about Mullin’s association with City Elders and efforts to elect “godly people” to public office? Does she approve of the immigration enforcement practices he has overseen? And what does she make of Scott’s leadership of Columbia/HCA during part of the period eventually examined in one of the nation’s largest health-care fraud investigations?

Voters don’t have to judge Miller-Meeks solely by the company she keeps. But they are entitled to know who that company is.