Big Sky Times

The Montana Republican Party has filed an ethics complaint against Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney in connection with his admission that he had used taxpayer resources for his campaign.

The lieutenant governor admitted that on April 13 he used his office to participate in a campaign strategy call with the Democratic Governor’s Association.  This isn’t the first time that it has happened.

In 2002 Cooney was accused of campaigning with state equipment, when a news release from a failed 2000 gubernatorial campaign, and lists of campaign donors going back two decades were discovered in the state’s official computer system.

“Lt. Gov. Cooney must be held accountable for breaching the public’s trust through his blatant use of taxpayer resources to advance his own political ambitions," said Montana GOP Executive Director Spenser Merwin. "This violation brings into serious question whether Montanans can trust Cooney with the responsibility and privilege of governing our state.”  

“One would think a career politician who has been in office since before the Internet was invented would be familiar with state ethics laws, but it’s clear Mike Cooney doesn’t believe the rules should apply to him,” said RGA communications director Amelia Chassé Alcivar. “If Montana taxpayers can’t trust Mike Cooney to follow the law and quit campaigning on their dime, how can they trust him to lead the state?”  

MTN News showed a screenshot of Cooney during the conference call, in the lieutenant governor’s office at the state capitol, reported KTVH. Cooney’s campaign calls this an isolated incident.