Dark Money Group Ordered to Report Montana Campaign Spending

BILLINGS – A secretive group that aired election ads including images of Attorney General Tim Fox, who is running for governor, violated state campaign laws, Montana’s top political cop said.

Ads by American Prosperity Group began airing on Spectrum cable television in late March, but the group has not registered with state or federal elections regulators, putting it at odds with state campaign laws intended to prevent anonymous spending in state politics, Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan said.

A Helena resident filed a complaint about the ads, which ran from March 24 through April 1, The Billings Gazette reported. The Washington, D.C. law firm Dickinson Wright PLLC told Mangan it represents American Prosperity Group and argued the ad wasn’t considered an “electioneering communication” because the spending occurred more than 60 days before the June 2 primary.

However, ballots were mailed to all registered voters on May 8 because counties decided not to open polls due to the coronavirus. Any ads that appeared after March 9 would have aired during the electioneering period for Montana’s 2020 primary, Mangan found.

Read more: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2020/05/19/dark-money-group-ordered-report-montana-campaign-spending/