The Montana Senate voted to punish a Hamilton Republican Tuesday following an ethics investigation into claims he abused his power and wasted taxpayer dollars.
Sen. Jason Ellsworth has been stripped of all committee assignments, barred from participating on interim committees and permanently lost floor privileges in the upper chamber. He’s allowed to vote on bills remotely and may only communicate with staff in writing.
Legislative auditors found that Ellsworth abused his authority and wasted public money when he awarded a $170,000 contract to a longtime associate. An ethics committee investigation confirmed Ellsworth initially tried to split the contracts in two, putting each below the threshold requiring a public bid on a contract.
Some Republicans say that tactic broke state law, and called for Ellsworth to be expelled from office. But other Republicans and Democrats pushed back, saying the investigation did not prove Ellsworth would personally benefit from the contract. They called for a lesser punishment.
After a week of negotiations, the two factions agreed and voted to censure the former Senate President.
