NBC News: Montana GOP Senate candidate keeps his CEO job — but his company won’t say how he avoids conflicts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 3, 2023
CONTACT
monica@mtdems.org
Sheehy’s company “did not directly address questions about how, precisely, the CEO/Senate hopeful is complying with corporate accountability measures”
Helena, MT – New reporting from NBC News raised additional questions about the potential conflicts of interest Tim Sheehy is facing as he campaigns for U.S. Senate – while heading up a company that makes its millions off of federal contracts.
Bridger Aerospace has “explicit rules about political contributions and activities,” including that “employees are not permitted to engage in politics while on company time.” But Sheehy’s campaign did not address questionsabout how he is complying with those rules – and footage in Sheehy’s campaign videos is “similar, if not identical, to footage that appears in videos that seem to have been produced for [Bridger Aerospace] corporate marketing purposes.”
Read more:
NBC News: Montana GOP Senate candidate keeps his CEO job — but his company won’t say how he avoids conflicts
By Henry Gomez
August 3, 2023
Tim Sheehy is running in one of the country’s most competitive U.S. Senate races while also running an aerial firefighting company that is heavily dependent on federal contracts.
But the company, which issues publicly traded stock, also has explicit rules about political contributions and activities.
Employees are not permitted to engage in politics while on company time, according to the company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. There are also rules requiring legal reviews and approval before company funds can be spent on behalf of candidates or campaigns.
Sheehy’s candidacy presents the potential for unique conflicts with the policies of the company he runs full time.
But officials with Bridger and the Sheehy campaign did not directly address questions about how, precisely, the CEO/Senate hopeful is complying with corporate accountability measures.
It’s unclear how Sheehy balances his various jobs and duties with the demands of a Senate candidate in a key state. Social media posts show he has maintained a steady public campaign schedule.
It’s also not clear what permission he’s received from the company to use its images and property in his ads. Some of the campaign’s ad footage is similar, if not identical, to footage that appears in videos that seem to have been produced for corporate marketing purposes.
Bridger’s spokesperson did not respond to a list of follow-up questions seeking more details about permissions granted to Sheehy or the “internal protocols” the company says are in place to keep him from running afoul of ethics policies.
Bridger is almost exclusively reliant on federal contracts — “accounting for approximately 96% of our total revenue in the year ended December 31, 2022,” according to a March filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bloomberg Government reported in June on the potential conflicts of interest Sheehy would face as a senator deeply enmeshed with a major federal contractor.
“Tim Sheehy has been plagued by scandals, conflicts of interest and campaign stumbles since he entered the race,” said Amanda Sherman Baity, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “Every day, more of his liabilities come to light.”
###
