Latest news with #JasonEllsworth
Associated Press
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Disenfranchised at convention, Republican lawmakers sue Montana GOP
Republican legislators disenfranchised at the June Montana GOP officers' convention are asking a judge to restore their voting privileges and force a new election for party leadership. State senators Jason Ellsworth, Denley Loge and Shelley Vanceweren't allowed to vote for Montana Republican Party leadership at the June 28 convention in Helena, where a new party Chair Art Wittich and Vice Chair Stacy Zinn were elected. Ellsworth, of Hamilton; Loge, of St. Regis; and Vance, of Belgrade; say they're being canceled for supporting policies endorsed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. All three lawmakers belonged to a minority of Senate Republicans who led an effort to, among other things, renew the state's expanded Medicaid program and back Gianforte's preferred approach to lowering property taxes on primary residences instead of other options supported by hardline Republicans. At the convention, members of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, a political action committee, called for the three senators to not be recognized. Caucus member Sen. Barry Usher, R-Molt, made the motion, which then-MTGOP Chair Don Kaltschmidt called out of order. Then, Freedom Caucus member Rep. Jane Gillette, R-Three Forks, called on convention delegates to disregard the party chair's ruling, which they did. Ellsworth, Loge and Vance, who were invited to the convention as Republican legislators and paid for admission, were told to leave. The lawmakers' work with the governor didn't get a mention by either the Montana Republican Party or Freedom Caucus members during the convention. Usher took to social media early in the 2025 legislative session to characterize the lawmakers as collaborating with minority Democrats, disparagingly labeling them the 'Nasty Nine,' a reference to the three plaintiffs and six other Republican senators who frequently voted en bloc during the session. The name stuck. Capitol press lopped off the 'Nasty' and published stories about 'The Nine' for the next four months. 'Frankly, we're confused as to why they're upset. You can't quit the team, suit up for the other side, and then sue the coach for benching you,' said Tyler Newcombe, MTGOP director, in a text. 'By organizing with Democrats, The Nine removed themselves from the Republican Party. All we did was recognize what they had already made clear through their votes and their alliances.' Ellsworth said Wednesday that the bills passed through the Legislature weren't authored by Democrats. He said the legislation was sponsored by Republicans who collaborated with Gianforte's administration on shared priorities. 'They weren't Democrat bills; they were Republican bills that were in the governor's budget. He budgeted for Medicaid expansion,' Ellsworth said. 'He didn't veto it. He didn't change anything. That's a Republican bill.' Ellsworth said that by not being recognized at the convention, the lawmakers were unable to make arguments for who should be party chair. Wittich won the chairmanship by a large margin. A former state legislator and longtime political operative, Wittich told delegates that Montana lacked the feeling of a deep-red conservative state. He suggested a 'conservative governance committee' to hand out party endorsements in primaries. The Montana Republican Party has mostly avoided advocating for one Republican over another in primary races. Gianforte notably put his thumb on the scale in 2024. 'That's something you can bring up, a debate when you're voting for these people,' Ellsworth said. MTGOP 'has always managed to stay out of the fray and now it's being sunk completely into the fray. Ultimately, I think we will end up losing some seats. That's what even Art said, 'We may not have as many members, but we're going to have red members.' Well, define red.' The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Lewis and Clark District Court asks for a legal determination of what the lawmakers' rights are. The Montana Constitution grants legislators absolute immunity for legislative actions, which the plaintiffs argue should have prevented their disenfranchisement and earlier censuring by the Montana Republican Party executive board. The censure issued in April said the lawmakers weren't upholding Republican values, though questions submitted to one lawmaker, Sen. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, focused more on his interactions with Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, who lost control of his caucus on the session's first day. There's been no censuring of House Republicans who collaborated with the disenfranchised senators to build a bipartisan working majority that included Democrats from both chambers. In the House, the coalition included Speaker Brandon Ler, R-Savage, and Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls. Republican members of the working majority have said that during the session they advanced the priorities of their constituents, not 'party bosses.' At the convention, state Republican Party rules should have prevented the lawmakers from being excluded, Ellsworth said. Ellsworth is a past president of the Montana Senate who was censured during the 2025 legislative session for attempting to award up to $170,100 in government work to a longtime business associate without disclosing the relationship and not putting the work out for bid. The work was to involve monitoring Montana courts as they put into effect 27 new 'judicial reform' laws proposed by Republicans during the 2025 Montana Legislature. Only seven of the bills passed. Ellsworth maintains his innocence, but the Senate consensus was that he violated Senate ethics. Senators banned Ellsworth from in-person participation in legislative functions. He finished the Legislature participating remotely, capable of voting but not debating or asking questions about legislation. Separately, lawmakers referred Ellsworth to the Department of Justice for alleged official misconduct, a misdemeanor, stemming from the contracts. ___ This story was originally published by Montana Free Press and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Associated Press
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Montana Senate can't muster enough votes to punish former president Ellsworth
The Montana Senate drew to a stalemate Monday over whether to expel former leader Jason Ellsworth for ethics violations, though there's no limit to how many tries they get at taking some sort of disciplinary action against the Hamilton Republican. Lawmakers failed twice to get the necessary two-thirds majority required to expel a member. Between attempts to expel, senators were also unsuccessful at censuring Ellsworth. The latter entailed removing the 2023 Senate president from key committees and banning him from the Senate floor for a few weeks. The stalemate means a scandal that's dominated Senate politics since the middle of January will continue unresolved. There's no limit to how many times the Senate can take up disciplinary action related to an ethics investigation, said Todd Everts, the Legislature's director of legal services. That means there's no limit to how many times the Senate can vote to expel or censure Ellsworth for not disclosing his past relationship with a contractor, with one caveat — each motion to censure Ellsworth must be different than previous versions. During a three-day hearing earlier in March, the Senate Ethics Committee found credible evidence that Ellsworth contracted $170,100 in government work to a long-time business associate without ever disclosing their 20-year relationship. Such conflicts of interest are required to be revealed. 'These are the facts established by the record. The senator used his position as Senate president to attempt to steer tens of thousands of dollars, over $170,000, to his friend, up front, without work having been performed and without disclosing that he had a relationship with the contractor,' said Sen. Forrest Mandeville, ethics committee chair. Mandeville, R-Columbus, called for Ellsworth to be expelled in the course of Senate process, while Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, who also serves on the ethics committee, called for Ellsworth to be expelled immediately. Both attempts drew 27 votes in support, short of the 34 needed for expulsion in the 50-member state Senate. The pro-expulsion group included four of the chamber's 18 minority Democrats. Lawmakers among the 23 to vote against expulsion called it a move so rare it hadn't occurred in the Senate for more than a century. There were nine Republicans voting to censure Ellsworth. 'I do not believe, Mr. President, the matter before us merits the expulsion of a member,' said Sen. Chris Pope, D-Bozeman. 'Note that the ethics committee, which I was part of, was instructed by this body to solely investigate the relatively narrow ethical issue of conflict of interest, which we have done, and which is now before us.' The work Ellsworth contracted with friend Bryce Eggleston for was also not put out to bid, as is normally required for contracts of more than $100,000. In a separate investigation, the state Department of Justice is looking into whether Ellsworth deliberately split the work into two agreements to miss the $100,000 threshold. Such a workaround to the law would be an abuse of power. The Senate could visit those charges separately in another round of potential disciplinary actions. Ellsworth, who had been absent from the Senate since late February, was on the floor Monday to vote on his fate with fellow lawmakers. Early in the proceedings, the senator apologized, saying he was embarrassed for bringing shame to the Senate. He then sat at his desk quietly as the debate played out around him. Some of his fellow Republicans refused to call him senator as they discussed his removal. 'Let me be clear, I did not violate any Senate rules, state laws, or state regulations or procedures. I did not attempt to use my position for personal or private gain. And I received no personal or private gain,' Ellsworth said. 'I do regret that I brought the appearance of impropriety into this body. And it may have undermined the public trust in it. 'I'm genuinely sorry and I accept whatever discipline this body deems appropriate,' he said. It was the first time Ellsworth addressed the allegations against him since his ethics committee hearing, at which he didn't testify but was represented by his attorney. He voted against being expelled and for being censured. 'I don't believe what I just heard from the person in seat 31,' said Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, referring to Ellsworth's chair in the chamber. 'He is one of the best salesmen I have ever met in my life. He can sell you anything. And that's exactly what he tried to get up to do.' Hertz then expanded the debate beyond the ethics allegation, touching on Ellsworth's $600,000 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over magazine sales more than a decade ago, in which Ellsworth was accused of signing people for magazines they didn't agree to purchase. Hertz then recounted times the Hamilton lawmaker attempted to get out of traffic stops by claiming to be en route to legislative business. There was also an allegation of domestic abuse in Ellsworth's not-too-distant past. The Montana Republican Party on Sunday called for Ellsworth to resign. Hertz recalled that the Democratic Party had done the same over a different incident in the past. ___
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Motions to expel, censure Sen. Ellsworth fail
Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, apologized for the appearance of impropriety, but maintains he did no wrongdoing in signing a contract with a friend in a way that avoided state procurement protocol. The Senate moved to expel him, and later to censure him, but both motions ultimately failed. The GOP had called on him to resign, but Ellsworth did not do so. (Keila Szpaller/The Daily Montanan) A majority of Montana Senators on Monday voted to expel Sen. Jason Ellsworth, the Hamilton Republican who has been under ethical and criminal investigations related to a contract he procured late last year, but the motion failed to reach the two-thirds majority required to punish or expel a lawmaker. The result disappointed the majority of Republicans who sought to expel Ellsworth and left the body in limbo about how to proceed after substitute motions for a censure failed along the same 27-23 margins. 'We are here under the Constitution. It's our duty. We are here to judge this,' said Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, who urged the body to vote for expulsion. 'To me, this is the most important decision I have ever made in my entire legislative career. End of discussion. It far exceeds any other bill that we are going to address here this session.' Four Democrats joined in the vote to expel, including Sen. Emma Kerr-Carpenter, D-Billings. Kerr-Carpenter said Ellsworth, by virtue of his position of power, 'very nearly stole tens of thousands of dollars from Montana taxpayers.' The move to expel Ellsworth has been building since the first weeks of the session when the news that Ellsworth had negotiated a $170,000 contract with a business partner and close friend was first reported. Monday's vote took place after the Senate Ethics committee released a report of factual findings about the contract. A Legislative Audit investigation also found Ellsworth had abused his power and state resources. Ellsworth, who voted against expulsion but for his own censure, declined to comment on the motions or on a recent call by the state Republican Party for his resignation. Ellsworth has been working from home, citing health issues, and did not say whether he would return to the Senate in person. In a speech on the floor, Ellsworth apologized for the 'appearance' of impropriety and said he would accept punishment from the Senate, but he denied wrongdoing. 'Let me be very clear, I did not violate any of our Senate rules or state laws or state regulations or procedures,' Ellsworth said. 'I did not attempt to use my position for personal or private gain, and I received no personal or private gain. 'I regret that I brought the appearance of impropriety into this body, and it may have undermined the public trust.' During the course of 90 minutes on Monday afternoon, the Senate voted three times, twice on a motion to expel Ellsworth — brought by Sen. Forest Mandeville, who led the Senate Ethics Committee, and by majority leader Tom McGillvray — and once on a substitute motion to censure Ellsworth — removing his committee assignments and stripping his floor privileges until April 12. While Mandeville used the ethics report as the basis for his motion, he expanded the scope to include additional information related to Ellsworth's contract including the Legislative Auditor's findings of waste and abuse. 'This motion is broader than just that piece that the Ethics Committee looked at. The ethics report is one piece of many that establishes good cause,' to expel Ellsworth, Mandeville said. 'Anything and everything showing good cause is open for debate on this motion.' The other senators who urged their colleagues toward expulsion added on a litany of other considerations from Ellsworth's past, stretching back years. Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, who refused to refer to Ellsworth as a senator, said he didn't believe anything the 'person in Seat 31' said. 'He's one of the best salesmen I've ever met in my life,' Hertz said. 'He could sell us just about anything.' Hertz called the floor debate a 'historic moment' and laid out a timeline of events to illustrate a 'consistent lack of ethics and integrity in the treatment of others and the public.' Hertz cited a Federal Trade Commission investigation that fined Ellsworth $600,000 for failure to disclose facts about his magazine subscription companies payment and cancellation policies; two times Ellsworth was pulled over for speeding and used connections to the Attorney General and governor, trying to evade consequences; and other instances, including once when the Montana Democrat Party called for his resignation. 'I noted nine abuses by an elected official. There are many more I could have identified. That is more than enough for good cause for expulsion,' Hertz said. '… History does repeat itself, as we have seen with Jason Ellsworth. We should have done something to this senator sessions ago. That's our fault.' The two sides of the debate quickly became clear with each laying out its own narrative of Ellsworth's actions. Senate rules allow for punishment up to expulsion, but Sen. Chris Pope, D-Bozeman, instead asking the body to consider a lesser punishment he felt more fitting for Ellsworth's behavior — censure. Pope, who served on the ethics committee, said the role of that group was to investigate 'relatively narrow ethical issues of conflict of interest,' and that the Senate should just consider the facts before them. A concurrent criminal investigation by the Department of Justice has not yielded any conclusions about Ellsworth's actions, and Pope, Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, and others urged their colleagues to have a laser-sharp focus on the contents of the ethics report. Pope said a loss of privileges for Ellsworth, and a censure, would be an apt consequence. 'Censure is an indelible black mark forever on an elected official's record,' he said. 'It is not a reprimand. Censure is forever.' But Democrat Kerr-Carpenter said it was a simple matter of holding a person in power accountable for their actions. Ellsworth 'held a position of great power, and with that power comes very high expectations, expectations of a commitment to uphold not just the bare minimum of the letter of our ethics rules, but a higher responsibility,' Kerr-Carpenter said. 'A responsibility to use his power, not for his own gain, not for the personal benefit of his closest friends, but for that of his constituents and for all Montanans. She said she was teaching her young son it's important to make amends for wrongdoing, and Ellsworth fell short. 'The senator in Seat 31 has only just now — as his back is against the wall — tried to make amends,' Kerr-Carpenter said. 'The senator in Seat 31 has failed in his responsibility to this body and to Montanans and to himself, and I think it is the right thing to draw a clear line that says beyond this, we will not go.' The vote on the motion to expel was 27-23, with four Democrats — Sens. Kerr-Carpenter, Dave Fern, of Whitefish, Derek Harvey, of Butte, and Denise Hayman, of Bozeman — joining with a majority of Republicans. Ellsworth and eight Republicans — who have formed a working coalition with Democrats this session — opposed expulsion. Sen. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, said the desire to expel Ellsworth was politically motivated and made the substitute motion to censure Ellsworth, which would remove him from the powerful Senate Finance and Claims Committee, the Executive Review Committee which he leads, and prevent him from serving on any interim committees. The censure would have also stripped Ellsworth's floor privileges until April 12. Last Friday, the Senate removed other responsibilities from Ellsworth related to his role on the Executive Review committee, which carries approvals for gubernatorial appointments to the Senate floor. Kassmier said Ellsworth is a 'flawed person' who made 'a lot of mistakes,' but while he did not approve of Ellsworth's actions, he said that 'proper punishment is essential.' 'If we're going to kick out a member for failing to disclose conflicts, we probably need to kick out a lot of people in here,' Kassmier said. '…Expulsion is not an appropriate remedy for failure to disclose a conflict of interest… The proper punishment is a censure.' Bozeman Democrat Cora Neumann agreed expulsion should be reserved for extreme cases, but said that the body was in agreement that some form of punishment needed to occur. 'I don't think any of us are disagreeing on the need for this body to act with integrity,' she said. 'And in fact, over the last few weeks and since this issue started to rise to the surface here in this body, I've heard many more separately to disclose conflicts of interest.' Neumann said the Senate should look at reviewing its own rules to make consequences in future instances more clear, and minority leader Flowers said he was bringing an interim study bill that would look at making the ethics process more straightforward. The motion for censure failed along the same blocs, with 23 supporting censure and 27 opposing it. A final vote on expulsion saw the same result. Fern, one of the Democrats who voted for expulsion, said the Senate wasn't going to come to any decisions that afternoon. 'I do think we will eventually get to a censure. I don't believe this body is ready to do that yet,' Fern said, adding that they would need to take the time to craft an appropriate compromise 'Perhaps we just don't have the votes to do expulsion. Quite frankly, that's my preference. With all due consideration to great testimony I've heard for and against, I'm comfortable with that,' Fern continued. 'We can expel and send the shame to wherever the good senator goes to. But for a while, the shame will stay right here in this body.' 'Soon I will be over it. I will provide forgiveness, and we will all move on, hopefully with a fair and equitable censure.' Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, said that he would be willing to listen to potential censure language crafted by Flowers and the senators in favor of that option. But he remained steadfast in the motion for expulsion, saying there were bipartisan voices saying Ellsworth's conduct was 'expulsion level, and there's a big sentiment of not moving on from that.' 'I ask that we reserve expulsion, the greatest punishment that this body can deliver — and it has not delivered for decades, generations — and we reserve that for more exceptional, egregious and harmful conflict against our government and the people of Montana,' Pope said. The Montana Republican Party, which called for Ellsworth to resign on Sunday, released a statement through a spokesperson saying the party 'wants all members to be accountable and not above the law — even in our own party. The Democrat party has shown today that they care more about political power than they do the interests of all Montanans.' Reporters Keila Szpaller and Jordan Hansen contributed to this reporting.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State GOP calls for Ellsworth's resignation
Senator Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, watches a vote during the Senate Floor Session on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. (Nathaniel Bailey for the Daily Montanan) The Montana Republican Party officially called for the resignation of Hamilton Sen. Jason Ellsworth on Sunday. In a press release, the state GOP said Ellsworth, a Republican and former Senate president, is 'no longer fit to serve' in the Senate following a report by the Senate Ethics Committee about Ellsworth's failure to disclose a conflict of interest while procuring a $170,100 contract for a friend and business associate. 'The report has raised serious concerns regarding his conduct, and we firmly believe that for the good of the state and the well-being of his constituents, Senator Ellsworth should step down from his position,' the release stated. 'We urge Senator Ellsworth to resign voluntarily in order to restore trust in the Senate and allow for a focus on the work that lies ahead for the people of Montana.' Ellsworth was not initially aware of the party's stance on Sunday morning and did not respond to questions about whether he would resign. The senator has not been working from the Capitol in recent weeks, after receiving permission to work remotely due to health issues. The ethics committee adopted its final report last week following weeks of hearings and fact finding. The Senate initially convened the ethics committee in January after details of the contract between Ellsworth and his friend Bryce Eggleston were reported. The Department of Justice is also investigating criminal allegations related to Ellsworth's actions. The Montana Senate is expected to discuss the ethics report during Monday's floor session, with the GOP majority expected to bring a motion to punish Ellsworth, according to several senators. Whether the motion will be for expulsion or a form of censure was not confirmed to the Daily Montanan. The state Republican Party said that if Ellsworth does not voluntarily step aside, they will 'fully support the Senate's decision to expel him, ensuring that the integrity of the Senate remains intact.' The decision by the state GOP was reached by a unanimous vote of the Montana Republican Party's Executive Board.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montana GOP ‘strongly rebukes' nine state senators for obstructing Republican majority
Montana GOP Headquarters in Helena, MT. Credit: Keith Schubert The Montana Republican Party issued a statement on Monday 'strongly rebuking' nine state senators who have formed a working majority coalition with 18 Democrats to effectively run the upper chamber from the floor, change rules, and pass legislation, often going against GOP majority leadership. The statement said the senators' actions have created obstacles for the Republican Senate majority and 'undermined the will of the people.' 'Montanans voted for Republican governance, not compromises that shift power away from their elected majority. We believe these nine senators, at times, prioritized personal and political considerations over the broader priorities of their constituents. Their actions have contributed to a shift in influence that does not align with the platform they campaigned on,' the statement said. Members of The Nine earlier told the Daily Montanan they believe they are acting in the best interests of their constituents, although they are not marching in lockstep. At least one member also said the shift in influence represents Democrats agreeing to work with their Republican group — not the other way around. On the first day of the 69th Legislature, the nine Republican senators joined with the Democratic minority to change Senate rules, bucking their party's elected leadership in the body. Since then, the same group has voted to refer an internal ethics investigation of one member to the Department of Justice, reshape committees, and assign bills, all against the wishes of the GOP leaders. 'The MTGOP calls on these senators to cease obstructing key Republican priorities and return to the faithful representation of their constituents and the Republican platform. If their actions continue to damage the integrity of the Republican majority, the party will consider additional steps to address the situation. The MTGOP urges all members to uphold the trust of the voters who elected them and to work together in support of Montana's future,' the statement said. The senators called out by the state party are Sens. Jason Ellsworth, Wendy McKamey, Gayle Lammers, Josh Kassmier, Butch Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, Denley Loge, Russ Tempel, and Shelley Vance. The letter was signed by the Montana Republican Party Chairman Don 'K' Kaltschmidt, and the executive board comprising Lola Sheldon-Galloway, Terry Nelson, Brad Tschida, Tanner Smith, Debbie Churchill, Steve Zabawa, Bruce Williams, Shane Eaton, Stu Goodner, Paul Fielder and Tracy Sharp.
