ATP statement on PBS claims

BOZEMAN -- American Tradition Partnership Executive Director Donald Ferguson released the following statement Monday morning regarding bizarre and false claims made by PBS:

With days to go until Montanans vote, the activist group ProPublica has decided to release a misleading, sensationalist story built around personal property stolen from a car and delivered by a meth user to ATP's political opponents.  The story falsely links ATP to individual activities the organization has no connection to.

ATP always has, and always will, obey every applicable law.  As has been the case with every legal issue we have brought forward, this will be decided in ATP's favor for one simple reason - the law is always on our side.  In fact, ATP just won another court case this morning against the Commission on Political Practices for that exact reason.

ATP does not, and never will, tell voters which candidate to vote for.  ATP speaks on the issues, informing voters where candidates stand and of their public records.

Additionally, no candidate has any say or control over what ATP publishes.  I have never met or spoken to virtually all the candidates on the ballot.  Other than sending them a candidate questionnaire I have never communicated most of them.  The story itself admits there is no proof of coordination, and there is no coordination.

Additionally, I seriously doubt stolen property acquired by a meth user and spread around by political activists are true, accurate, unaltered and complete documents.  Earlier this year another liberal group stole documents from another free market environmental organization, the Heartland Institute, and proceeded to engage i forgery and fraud for the purposes of smearing conservatives for political gain (http://spectator.org/blog/2012/02/17/theft-and-apparent-forgery-of).

In the past Frontline has broken into computer databases for a story on tuna fishing and relied on the word of a convicted felon fired from an Atlanta dentistry clinic to smear private dentistry, without informing viewers.  ATP, on the other hand, has always obeyed every letter of every applicable law and eventually won every court case it has ever brought.

I would suggest the media tread carefully before publishing politically-timed stories built on stolen and possibly forged documents that are unrelated to ATP and distributed by a meth user, politicians and a program with a history of unethical and illegal practices.

Bullock steered $262K in state money to brother, himself; evidence now in hands of FBI investigators

> State, public documents show Bullock’s office gave $262K contract to company owned by his brother — and which pays him rent
> ‘Give it back, Steve’ says Ferguson of Bullock’s corrupt funds, ‘The office of governor could become Steve Bullock’s personal piggy bank’
> Documents now in the hands of FBI’s Public Corruption Unit
> Story and documentation will appear in the Montana Statesman, mailed to 120,000 homes

BOZEMAN — American Tradition Partnership turned over to the FBI’s Public Corruption Unit Sunday several state and public documents detailing how in 2010 Attorney General Steve Bullock’s Justice Department steered a $262,017.38 state contract to an “environmental services” business owned by Bullock’s brother, and which pays rent to a building owned by Steve Bullock himself.

“It appears Attorney General Bullock is handing state contracts to his brother’s company which he personally profits from,” said ATP Executive Director Donald Ferguson. “At best using your state position to funnel cash to your brother and yourself is a serious breach of ethics and the public trust.  At worst Attorney General Bullock may very well have committed a crime.  These are the kinds of dealings the FBI’s Public Corruption Unit investigates, and prosecutes.”

Additionally, Montana Code 2-2-105(4) states “a public officer or public employee may not acquire an interest in any business or undertaking that the officer or employee has reason to believe may be directly and substantially affected to its economic benefit by official action to be taken by the officer’s or employee’s agency. ”

“We encourage a robust and thorough investigation of Mr. Bullock, and we call on Mr. Bullock to cooperate with the FBI,” said Ferguson.  “Mr. Bullock could very well spend 2013 and beyond under FBI investigation, or worse.”

ATP will report the story, and release the documents, in this week’s edition of the Montana Statesman newspaper, which is mailed to 120,000 homes in Montana.  The documents will be available online Monday at montanastatesman.com/bullockdisclosure.

“Give it back, Steve,” said Ferguson of any rent paid to him by Pioneer Tech.  “Unless he and his brother divest themselves of the Hermann Building and Pioneer Tech, as governor Steve Bullock would be free to steer contracts from anywhere in the state government to his brother and himself,” said Ferguson.

“The office of governor could become Steve Bullock’s personal piggy bank.”

“For years ATP’s candidate surveys have asked candidates if he or she or a close relative stands to personally profit off any government ‘green’ program,” said Ferguson.  “No wonder Bullock refused to answer that question.  He would have to reveal his corrupt contract scheme.”

“These kinds of corrupt deals have become Steve Bullock’s calling card,” said Ferguson of Bullock, who was admonished in 2009 by the federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for using his office to engage in the “petty bureaucratic harassment” of a Helena church and whose campaign was last week found guilty by the Commission on Political Practices of passing 11 illegal checks totaling over $15,000.

State documents show in April of 2010 the Justice Department, run by Bullock, awarded a Natural Resource Damage Program contract to an environmental services company, “Pioneer Technical Services” of Butte.  The total value of the contract, according to the documents, was $262,017.38 for eight months of work.

Also known as Pioneer Tech, it is owned by Bill Bullock, Steve Bullock’s brother.  Steve Bullock can be seen on video during a Sept. 2010 state conference praising his brother for creating Pioneer Tech.
“In 1992, in the basement of a house here in Butte, my older brother started a business, Pioneer Tech,” said Bullock.    The tape of Bullock admitting Pioneer’s ownership may be viewed online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbi16AtVWC4#t=08m15s.

Not only did Bullock direct state funds to his brother, Pioneer appears to rent office space from Steve Bullock himself.

On its website, www.pioneer-technical.com/offices/offices.htm, Pioneer Tech lists its Helena office as “(Hermann Building) 201 E. Broadway.”

Both Bullock’s 2008 and 2012 state financial disclosure forms list him as an owner of the “Hermann Building” at “201 E. Broadway.”

That means Attorney General Bullock is handing state contracts to a company that pays him rent, personally profiting from a state contractor – who is also his brother.

The scandal may be much larger.  That state contract is just one of several paid out to Pioneer Tech, including what appear to be several more from Bullock’s Justice Department.

The information was sent to the FBI via email Sunday, and will be Express Mailed Monday morning.