Montana Free Press (https://montanafreepress.org/tag/corruption/)
State Del. Dan Morhaim talks to reporters on March 3, 2017, after the Maryland House of Delegates voted unanimously to reprimand him for using his position to advocate for changes to medical marijuana regulations that could have led to gains for a company he worked for.
Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl testifies in his lawsuit against Republican Rep. Art Wittich. Photo by Kimberly Reed.
By John S. Adams, Editor-in-Chief
HELENA — A highly anticipated civil trial to determine whether Bozeman Republican Rep. Art Wittich violated campaign practice laws during his 2010 primary campaign got underway in Helena on Monday. Wittich, the former Republican Senate majority leader and conservative stalwart in the state House, has been accused by Jonathan Motl, Montana’s campaign ethics chief, of violating state campaign finance laws.
By John S. Adams, Editor-in-Chief
The Montana Supreme Court in a 4-2 ruling rejected Republican Rep. Art Wittich’s appeal seeking a dismissal of a high-profile political corruption lawsuit. Wittich, who has been accused by the state’s top political enforcer of “quid pro quo corruption” for accepting campaign services he didn’t pay for in his 2010 state Senate race, argued in district court that the lawsuit against him was improper and should be thrown out.
By John S. Adams, Editor-in-Chief
Rarely does a civil lawsuit garner the level of statewide attention as the ongoing legal battle between Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl and Republican State Rep. Art Wittich. The widespread interest in the high-profile showdown was highlighted this week by the many headlines that stemmed from pretrial legal wrangling in advance of a week-long jury trial scheduled for March 28 in Helena.