COPP documents: Bullock took illegal PAC, corporate checks at least 18 times

American Tradition Partnership Executive Director Donald Ferguson released the following statement Friday afternoon:

I'm surprised to read Attorney General Steve Bullock claim he will not accept contributions above the unconstitutional $630 limit.  Back when the contribution law was in force he violated it and other campaign finance laws at least 18 times.

Why did Bullock wait until the law was overturned to suddenly decide he'll stop breaking it?

American Tradition Partnership follows every applicable law to the letter.  Every case we have ever brought has eventually been settled in our favor.  The law and the Constitution are always on our side.

But when it comes to breaking Montana's campaign finance laws, Steve Bullock is a virtual Al Capone. Make no mistake.  Steve Bullock is one of the most corrupt public officials in the United States.

According to sworn, documented complaints filed with the Commissioner of Political Practices (http://politicalpractices.mt.gov/2recentdecisions/docket.mcpx):

* Bullock pocketed contributions from the Pfizer drug company corporate PAC on Apr. 27, 2009, June 10, 2011 and June 4, 2012 that totaled far above the legal limit, by nearly 50 percent. (Tuininga v. Bullock)

* Bullock pocketed corporate PAC cash from British-based GlaxoSmithKline on Dec. 15, 2009, Aug. 1, 2011 and June 4, 2012 that totaled twice the legal limit. (Tuininga v. Bullock)

* Bullock pocketed primary election contributions from the Endo drug company corporate PAC on May 16, 2012 at twice the legal limit. (Tuininga v. Bullock)
(It should be noted Bullock was supposed to be negotiating with these drug companies on price-fixing allegations while taking that cash.)

* Bullock received a $300.00 check from the GFEA union PAC, on Mar. 16, 2011.  GFEA is not a legal PAC, therefore Bullock accepted an illegal contribution. (Tuininga v. Bullock)

* Bullock took illegal contributions from the BFFL 521 union PAC, on May 16, 2012 that were more than double the legal limit. (Tuininga v. Bullock)

* Bullock also took $1,260.00 in funds from the MEA MFT COPE union PAC on February 1, 2012, that is also twice the legal limit. (Tuininga v. Bullock)

* Bullock did the same thing, which is again illegal, when he pocketed the same amounts from the HEA union PAC on June 4, 2012. (Tuininga v. Bullock)

* Bullock took funds at the legal limit from the Montana Public Employees Association PAC, on April 9, 2012, but then accepted an additional $500 – which is illegal – just weeks later on May 31. (Tuininga v. Bullock)

* Bullock took $600 from the "Rent-A-Center, Inc. Good Government Committee" PAC, the corporate PAC of Rent-A-Center, on June 30, 2011.  Bullock then received an additional $660 on Apr. 13, 2012, which is above the legal limit both cumulatively and as an individual gift.  Bullock also reported it as coming from the "RAC Good Government Committee" to make it appear to be a different donor. (Olson v. Swope)

* Bullock pocketed $630 from Glacier PAC on Mar. 11, 2012 that was legally designated for the general election, but Bullock reported it for the primary (Tuininga v. Bullock)  That allows him to later solicit an illegal contribution.

* Bullock took two contributions from the Swiss-based Holcim corporation PAC totaling $620.  Holcim wrote two checks, $310 for the primary and $310 for the general but Bullock reported them both for the primary (Tuininga v. Bullock).  That allows him to later solicit an illegal contribution.

* Bullock pocketed contributions from The Home Depot corporate PAC totaling $1,260 on Dec. 14, 2011 for the primary election. (Tuininga v. Bullock)  That is twice the legal limit.

* Bullock also did the same thing with Lowe's corporate PAC on June 5, 2012 (Tuininga v. Bullock)

* Bullock took $310 from Publishers Clearing House, which is a corporation and not a PAC. (Swope v. Bullock) Corporate donations are expressly illegal.

* Bullock took three checks from "Citizens for Responsible Government - Employees of MSE," one for $300 on May 12, 2011, one for $300 on Dec. 7, 2011 and one for $660 just a week later on Dec. 14, 2011.  (Swope v. Bullock) The legal limit for a PAC is $630, putting Bullock over the legal limit by $600.

* Bullock took $600 from McDaniel Leadership PAC, which is not registered with the OPP.  It also appears to be a corporation out of Arkansas (Swope v. Bullock)

* Bullock reported spending just $15 dollars for a room at the Big Sky Resort on Jan. 15, 2012.  (Swope v. Bullock) Rooms cost well over $100 a night, therefore Montana law requires the difference should have been reported as a contribution to Bullock, which he failed to do.  Additionally, corporate contributions are also illegal.

American Tradition Partnership follows every applicable law to the letter.

Steve Bullock habitually breaks the law, then tries to cover it up with phony allegations against others that are always thrown out of court.

Instead of false accusations and phony charges against law-abiding citizens Bullock should stop breaking the laws he's supposed to enforce.

ATP responds to stay, free speech temporarily on hold in Montana

HELENA, MT -- American Tradition Partnership responded today to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to stay the ruling of U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell, who ruled in favor of the group and other plaintiffs in tossing out Montana’s political contribution limits last week as unconstitutionally low.

The Ninth Circuit’s decision means Montana’s limits, the lowest in the nation for state legislative candidates at $160, will be in effect at least until Judge Lovell releases his full opinion and the court can review his reasoning.

“This decision by the Ninth Circuit hands power back to Montana’s political insiders and powerful interests by denying candidates the ability to raise enough funds to challenge the status quo,” said ATP Montana Director Doug Lair. “While this is a setback for the First Amendment rights of all Montanans, we expect to prevail in the end as we have in our other challenges to the burden imposed by the state’s campaign finance regime.”

Judge Lovell in his order referred to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Randall v. Sorrell, which struck down Vermont’s campaign contribution limits as being too low to allow candidates to raise the funds necessary to run competitive campaigns. Low contribution limits have been cited by many experts as leading to high incumbent re-election rates – in the nearly 40 years since Congress first adopted contribution limits, the success rate for challengers to Congressional incumbents has been cut in half.

Montana’s individual contribution limit to candidates of $630 to the gubernatorial ticket, $310 to candidates for statewide office and $160 for candidates to other office

Limits on contributions to candidates by political party committees of $22,600 to the gubernatorial ticket, $8,150 to candidates for statewide office, $3,260 to candidates for Public Service Commission, $1,300 to candidates for State Senate and $800 to candidates for other offices.

Limits on contributions to candidates by political action committees of $630 to the gubernatorial ticket, $310 to candidates for statewide office and $160 for candidates to other office.

The case was Lair v. Murray, CV 12-12-H-CCL.  Judge Lovell’s order is attached as a PDF.

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Al Gore pocketing millions of taxpayer dollars

When Al Gore left the White House in 2001, he was worth less than $2 million.  Today he is worth over $100 million.

How?

Fourteen so-called "green" companies with ties to Al Gore have pocketed a combined $2.5 billion in taxpayer funds thanks to "green energy" programs pushed by Barack Obama, The Washington Post reports.

Gore’s investments coincided with the government’s largest investment in clean tech. A full 10 percent, estimated at $80 billion to $90 billion, of the 2009 stimulus package was devoted to clean energy.

Like thousands of other companies, those Gore invested in entered the competition for a piece of the pie. (An administration official said more than 80 percent of applicants the first year were turned away.) Several companies in Gore’s portfolio emerged as winners. Of the 11 companies he mentioned in his 2008 slide show, nine received or directly benefited from stimulus or clean energy funding.

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee and is a leading critic of clean tech funding, said Gore’s portfolio “is reflective of a disturbing pattern that those closest to the president have been rewarded with billions of taxpayer dollars . . . and benefited from the administration’s green bonanza in the rush to spend stimulus cash.”

Steve Bullock vows to cut off Montana coal jobs

"Gubernatorial hopefuls Steve Bullock and Rick Hill clashed Thursday night over who would do a better job developing Montana’s natural resources and bolstering education, sharpening their tone in their second debate of the campaign season," Helena Independent Record reporter Mike Dennison reports.

"'I am a strong advocate for natural-resource development in Montana, and the reason I am is that we are second-to-last in this country in terms of what we earn in salaries and wages,' Hill told an overflow crowd at the Montana Tech auditorium in Butte. 'There is no reason, with all the wealth we have in this state, that we’re next-to-last in take-home pay.'"

The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business & Economic Research reports Montana's $1.4 trillion Otter Creek coal tracts would provide 4,300 jobs and $92 million a year in tax revenue for schools and other services.  Bullock pandered to the wealthy Sierra Club by voting against developing them.

"Hill used his question to attack Bullock’s record on coal development, asking why Bullock failed to join 24 state attorneys general from coal-producing states this year when they challenged new Environmental Protection Agency rules Hill said would harm coal-fired power plants."