Montana AG warns of return to rampant corporate corruption if campaign finance law is dropped
Montana’s ban on corporate political spending may be harder to preserve than supporters originally thought, but the secret organizations behind the effort to
Jul 31, 202075.3K Shares4.1M Views
Montana’s ban on corporate political spending may be harder to preserve than supporters originally thought, but the secret organizations behind the effort to disband the law are taking heat in Montana Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press.
A group known as the American Tradition Partnership is fighting Montana’s 1912 Corrupt Practices Act, a ban on independent political expenditures straight from corporations, saying it’s unconstitutional and not applicable since last year’s Citizen Unitedruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The political action committeee is also fighting another state lawsuit, as well as one at the federal level, to increase the flow of corporate money in elections.
The group was first registered as a political action committee in July 2011, using the office address of Republican Montana state Sen. Art Wittich of Bozeman, as Western Tradition Partnership, and is relying on its local roots to mount the case.
“We don’t even know who Western Tradition is,” Chief Justice Mike McGrath asked at the trial. “So who is Western Tradition?”
As the American Independent has previously reported, Western Tradition Partnership “is an anti-environmental regulation organization that, along with two local businesses, brought the suit.” The group has become notorious for sending ‘attack mailers’ calling out their disagreements with state campaign finance authorities.
Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock said because a higher court had ruled in favor of allowing corporate personhood, Montana was hard-pressed to continue its law against it.
But, Bullock said, Montana may be able to leave the law in place while exempting “voluntary associations of people who form corporations and perhaps sole proprietorship corporations.”
This would exempt the two local businesses in the suit — Montana Shooting Sports Association and Champion Painting.
And, said Bullock, it would make sure the state’s history of rampant corporate political corruption is not repeated.
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