Last Updated on November 4, 2022 by admin
Mangan said in his written decision that he found “reason to believe” that Gianforte violated Montana law by deliberately failing to disclose the payments from the super PACs within 10 days, as required by state law. He also fined Gianforte $250 for each violation.
The super PAC payments were first reported by Lee Newspapers earlier this month. At the time, Gianforte spokeswoman Michelle Lincks said the disclosures had been “inadvertently overlooked.” She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday night.
Gianforte has come under fire during the race for his past statements opposing disclosure requirements for campaign spending. In 2015, he told a group of high school students that he opposed such measures because they would make it harder for groups like the NRA to support candidates like him.
“I don’t think it should be up to the press to decide what is disclosed and what not,” Gianforte said at the time.
But in April of this year, after he launched his congressional bid, Gianforte sent a letter to Mangan asking him to investigate whether American Tradition Partnership—a now-defunct group that was accused of illegally coordinating with candidates—had failed to properly disclose its spending in past elections.
