McConnell Recruit Tim Sheehy Facing Questions About Potential Conflict of Interest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
CONTACT
monica@mtdems.org
Helena, MT – Last week, Bloomberg reported that Mitch McConnell’s recruit Tim Sheehy is facing questions over a potential conflict of interest as he campaigns for a position that would oversee the millions of dollars his company gets from federal government contracts.
Read more coverage from over the weekend:
POLITICO Playbook PM: GO BIG SKY OR GO HOME — TIM SHEEHY, a Republican who is running to unseat Montana Democratic Sen. JON TESTER, is staring down some potentially limiting conflicts as he sets off on his campaign. Sheehy is the CEO of Bridger Aerospace, “a company that gets most of its money from federal government contracts, presenting potential conflict-of-interest questions that U.S. Senate hopefuls usually don’t face,” Bloomberg’s Zach Cohen and Caleb Harshberger write.
MSNBC Monday’s Campaign Round-Up: Bloomberg Law reported last week that Tim Sheehy, a leading Republican Senate candidate in Montana “runs a company that gets most of its money from federal government contracts, presenting potential conflict-of-interest questions that U.S. Senate hopefuls usually don’t face[.]”
And if you missed it before the holiday weekend, read the original reporting from Bloomberg below:
Bloomberg: Key GOP Senate Recruit Seeks Job Overseeing His Largest Customer
By Zach Cohen and Caleb Harshberger
June 30, 2023
Candidate Tim Sheehy runs a company that gets most of its money from federal government contracts, presenting potential conflict-of-interest questions that US Senate hopefuls usually don’t face.
It’ll be up to Sheehy to quell any concerns of voters who are hesitant to give him a role overseeing programs that fuel his family’s livelihood.
Bridger [Aerospace] has brought in about $87.6 million in unclassified federal contract awards since its founding in 2014, according to Bloomberg Government data. In 2022, it pulled in nearly $50 million in federal business.
Bridger said Sheehy would remain its chief executive officer while he runs for office. In mid-June he was given a new term on the board of directors ending in 2026.
He’ll have to provide more information about his personal holdings in a public disclosure form required of candidates.
“There are genuine conflicts of interest if he is receiving funds and government contracts,” Holman said. “Those are the types of issues that not only the executive branch, but Congress also deals with.”
Sheehy’s company also has retained outside lobbyists with ties to the Senate. Disclosure reports show that the company paid Crossroads Strategies $370,000 for lobbying from Sept. 1, 2021 to Dec. 1, 2022.
###
