Harkin cuts ties with namesake Iowa State center
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Sen. Tom Harkin is abandoning plans to donate his papers to a namesake institute at Iowa State University, his alma mater.
Harkin said in a letter Tuesday that he believed Iowa State leaders were trying to restrict the Harkin Institute of Public Policy's ability to conduct some research, which they deny.
He says he agrees with its advisory board that "these proposals have damaged the institute to such an extent that it would never be able to flourish at Iowa State."
Harkin says he and his family will decide where papers covering his 30 years in the Senate and 10 in the House end up. He says he regrets the institute didn't work out.
The withdrawal comes after a power struggle between Harkin supporters and university leaders.