Unpopular governor using taxpayer-funded photo in campaign ads
Busse for Montana files formal ethics complaint with Commissioner of Political Practices
Contact: [email protected]
HELENA, Mont. — Busse for Montana, the gubernatorial campaign of former firearms executive Ryan Busse, has filed a former ethics complaint with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices as Governor Greg Gianforte uses a taxpayer funded photo in his campaign advertising.
“The taxpayers of this state are already suffering under the Governor’s record residential property tax increase,” the formal complaint from Busse for Montana states. “It is both unlawful and absurd for taxpayers to subsidize the governor’s political campaign.”
Gianforte is responsible for raising residential raising property taxes by as much as 111%, while handing out tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires like himself and pricing hardworking Montanans and seniors out of their homes.
The photo in question is currently featured as a rotating image on Gianforte’s official, taxpayer website, governor.mt.gov, as of the sending of this news release:
In online news stories (HERE and HERE), this photo is also credited to the public “office” of Gianforte, meaning it is a taxpayer-funded resource.
However, Gianforte’s campaign is currently using this exact image in a sponsored Facebook ad paid for by “Greg” for Montana, the Governor’s re-election campaign:
Using official, taxpayer-funded resources in political elections efforts is illegal in Montana. Montana ethics law (MCA § 2-2-122) states:
A… public officer, legislator, or public employee may not use or permit the use of public time, facilities, equipment, state letterhead, supplies, personnel, or funds to solicit support for or opposition to any political committee, the nomination or election of any person to public office.
Disregarding the law isn’t new to Gianforte. In 2017, then-Congressman Gianforte lied to police officers after assaulting another man in Bozeman and was sentenced to community service.
QUICK FACTS:
- Pronunciation: Ryan BUSS’-ee
- Home: Kalispell, Mont.
- Office Sought: Governor of Montana
- Affiliation: Democrat
- Website: busseformontana.com
- X (Twitter): @ryandbusse
- DOB: 2/23/70 (53)
- Occupation: Writer, Consultant, Firearms Expert and Former Executive (Vice President of Sales, Kimber America: 1995-2020)
- Family: Married to Sara for 24 years; two sons: Lander (18) and Badge (15)
- Alma Mater: Bethany College (Kansas)
- Chevy Odometer: 280,000 miles
- Hunting Dogs: Aldo and Teddy
- Bio: Ryan Busse is an author and former firearms executive who helped build the gun company Kimber from Kalispell between 1995 and 2020. Over his 25-year career Busse directed the sales of nearly three million Kimber firearms. His memoir, Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America, was published by PublicAffairs (Hachette) in 2021. Busse was born near the Kansas cattle ranch homesteaded by his great-grandfather. He is an avid hunter, angler and champion of public lands, and has held leadership positions with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Montana Conservation Voters. Busse and his wife Sara live in Kalispell and have two teenage sons.