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united states senate

Ellsworth contract updates: Ex-business associate says contract was his proposal

After Sen. Jason Ellsworth came under fire for an improper state-funded business contract, Ellsworth’s associate on the receiving end of the deal said under oath the contracts were his own idea, according to sworn testimony obtained by the Montana State News Bureau. It is the first time his

Montana Senate sends Ellsworth's contract controversy to ethics committee

The Montana Senate on Monday invoked its constitutional authority to adjudicate an abuse of power and waste of state resources by a Republican senator from Hamilton who quietly arranged a six-figure contract with his longtime business associate. The Senate ethics committee will hear the case of Sen. Jason Ellsworth,

Legislative audit: Sen. Ellsworth's contracts 'illegal,' 'waste of state resources'

A Hamilton senator's recent attempt to skirt oversight in the bidding process constituted abuse of his government position as Senate President, and he wasted state resources in trying to resolve the matter, legislative auditors have determined. Republican Sen. Jason Ellsworth quietly signed a $170,100 contract with a

Emails: Legislative staff blocked senator's initial request for controversial contract

A week before state Sen. Jason Ellsworth inked a contract with a longtime business associate now under question by Republican leadership, he sought to get the state to sign off on two contracts that would keep the business deal out of view. Emails between Ellsworth, businessman Bryce Eggleston, the Legislative

GOP Senate probing $170K state contract legislator quietly awarded to business associate

A Republican senator from Hamilton recently signed a six-figure contract with a longtime business associate without legislative leadership’s knowledge, skipping the public bidding process, the Montana State News Bureau has learned. Using leftover funds from a legislative committee he formed last year, Sen. Jason Ellsworth signed a $170,

Senate President's bid to unite GOP caucus fails

Montana Republican Senate President Matt Regier on Thursday failed to claw his way back into control of the GOP majority after a tumultuous first week at the state Legislature. Negotiations with a small group of his own party over committee assignments fell through despite obtaining their permission for a few

Letter to the Editor: 575 Democracies: Tribal Sovereignty & Survival, Trump and The GOP

Only one of the two major political parties can ensure that Indian Tribes, as they now exist, will survive into the future: The Democratic Party. Nov. 5, 2024, democracy is on the ballot. 575 democracies to be precise: One big sovereign democratic republic called the United States of America, and