Democrat Governor Steve Bullock Misleads Montana Taxpayers, Again

Democrat Governor Caught Using State Plane For Campaign Events

After his hypocrisy of fundraising corporate contributions despite attacking corporate money in politics was exposed, and after it was revealed his LG did not resign for the reasons he stated, Montana Democrat Steve Bullock made a name for himself as the governor who said one thing, but did another. Now, another stark example of Bullock’s hypocrisy has emerged, putting him at odds with his administration’s attempted tales of good governance. Bullock was recently caught campaigning on the taxpayers’ dime, working campaign events into official event timelines, so he could use the state plane to ferry himself across the state at the taxpayers expense. And then, when confronted about using the state plane for campaign events, Bullock’s response was simply “everyone else did it, so why can’t we?” Montanans deserve a governor who is honest with them, and doesn’t blame others for their missteps, but Bullock’s consistent record of misleading his citizens proves he is incapable of being that governor.

Billings Gazette: Bullock Criticized For Piggybacking Campaign Stops Onto Official Business Flights

“Montana Gov. Steve Bullock is being criticized for piggybacking campaign events onto government business trips in his state airplane. At issue are a handful of campaign fundraisers branded as ‘Women for Bullock’ events that capped business flights to Montana communities during the past month. Criticism of the flights surfaced on social media after it was mentioned in a Feb. 10 Associated Press report that Bullock, a Democrat, was unavailable for comment because he was in Billings making peanut butter sandwiches for the homeless and attending a campaign fundraiser. Bullock had flown to Billings for those events, plus a TV interview and a meeting with a union official. Similar business trips capped by campaign fundraisers also took place in Bozeman and Missoula. State law generally prohibits use of public resources for political purposes.” (Tom Lutey, “Bullock Criticized For Piggybacking Campaign Stops Onto Official Business Flights,” Billings Gazette, 3/11/2016)

Missoulian: Bullock’s Use Of State Plane Displays Duplicity

“On Feb. 16, Gov. Steve Bullock flew to Missoula from Helena to conduct ‘state’ business, which also happened to ‘conveniently’ coincide with a campaign event, using the state’s turboprop airplane, at a cost of not less than $1,000/hour. A 115-mile drive, it’s probably an 80-mile flight; not the type of flight for which this plane is designed. More offensive is that he’s flying to a destination that includes a campaign event, using state equipment/taxpayer funds to do so. This has been an ongoing practice of this governor (the same modus operandi recently used for campaign events in Billings and Bozeman). Despite funding his campaign with untold amounts of “dark money” (perhaps millions) from his stint as chair of the DGA, he persists in thumbing his nose at taxpayers from Montana by using state property on campaign trips.” (Brad Tschida, “Column: Bullock’s Use Of State Plan Displays Duplicity,” Missoulian, 3/10/2016)

FLASHBACK:

Bullock Suffers From A Lack Of Credibility, Trust And Transparency. “Bullock’s handling of both Walsh and McLean were mistakes. To us, it boils down to trust. How can we trust the Bullock administration to appoint good leaders, and how can we have faith that the answers given aren’t just spin? We have to trust our governor, and this most recent episode should leave Montanans yearning to rebuild credibility, trust and transparency.” (Editorial, “What’s Really Going On In Montana Governor’s Office?” Billings Gazzette, 12/16/2015)

Bullock’s Inability To Be Honest With Montanans Is A “Major Complication” To His Re-Election Hopes. “And from a political standpoint, the McLean fallout would have been considerably shorter and less intense had the governor been more forthright more quickly. This is rapidly morphing from a one-cycle story to a major complication to the governor’s ability to be reelected — against a well-heeled opponent in a swing state.” (Editorial, “Montanans Are Owed Clarity On The Bullock-McLean Mess,” Montana Standard, 12/18/2015)