GOP Files Complaint Against Steve Bullock for Ethics Violations

The Montana GOP filed an ethics complaint against Democrat Gov. Steve Bullock, charging that he might have violated state ethics laws and used taxpayer dollars for his Senate campaign by putting military service members in his two new campaign ads.

Bullock, who is running for Senate against Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), released two campaign ads recently that feature four military service members.

“It also implicates the Governor yet again for using official resources to prop up his campaign by repurposing this official photo, taken by official staff, on official time, in his campaign for U.S. Senate,” the Montana GOP wrote in a release on Tuesday.

Department of Defense (DOD) Directive 1334.10 states:

Members on active duty may not participate in partisan activities such as soliciting or engaging in partisan fundraiser activities, serving as the sponsor of a partisan club, or speaking before a partisan gathering. In addition, all military members, including National Guard and Reserve forces, are prohibited from wearing military uniforms at political campaign events.

Breitbart News obtained the Montana GOP’s complaint to Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices.

The Montana GOP called on the commissioner to:

• Conduct a “thorough” investigation into this matter.
• Hold Bullock accountable by paying back the state of Montana for the use of taxpayer dollars to benefit his Senate campaign.
• Have Bullock’s campaign remove the ads in question.

This would not be the first time that Bullock has engendered controversy.

Fox News released a report that Bullock included several high-dollar donors as part of his coronavirus task force, otherwise known as the Coronavirus Relief Fund Advisory Council.

A Montana GOP spokesperson told Breitbart News that Bullock has portrayed himself as an ethical politician, while allegedly violating ethics rules.

“Time and time again, we have watched Gov. Bullock preach political morality while playing fast-and-loose with the rules backstage, hoping no one will notice,” said the spokesperson. “Gov. Bullock really does believe he’s untouchable, but unfortunately for him, no one is above the law.”

“It’s not only disappointing that Gov. Bullock is abusing taxpayer dollars, it’s appalling that he’s putting members of our military at risk to serve his own selfish political gain,” Julia Doyle, a spokesperson for Daines’s campaign, told Breitbart News.