Senate punts Ellsworth ethics probe to the state Department of Justice

The Montana Senate devolved into emotional arguments and angry tirades on Thursday. Several Republicans sided with Democrats in a vote to send an internal ethics investigation to the state Department of Justice.

Minority Leader Pat Flowers of Belgrade made the motion, saying the ethics investigation in a sitting senator has become a roadblock for the chamber’s legislative work. He said the Department of justice is better suited to look into Hamilton Sen. Jason Ellsworth’s actions.

“This issue is getting in the way of our business. And it’s time to put it aside and get back to work,” said Flowers.

Lee Newspapers’ Montana State News Bureau first reported that Republican Ellsworth made a last-minute deal to give a business associate a $170,000 contract, skipping the standard bid process. The state’s legislative auditor says the deal was an abuse of power and wasted government resources.

Ellsworth has defended his actions and says the contract was approved by the state Department of Administration. Ellsworth withdrew the contract when it came under scrutiny.

The Senate unanimously voted to stand up an ethics committee to investigate the matter further. The bipartisan, four-person committee began its work earlier this week.

Several Republican senators lambasted Flowers’ motion to send the investigation to an outside agency. They argued it would obstruct the investigation, and said the attorney general doesn’t have the authority to take it over.

“This is a problem in our house. The Constitution gives us authority to look at it and to find what happened here. And we owe it to the constituents of Montana to do that,’ said Republican Sen. Greg Hertz from Polson.

The Attorney General’s office said in a statement it will review the Senate’s referral and determine if there are possible next steps the department can take.