Zinke’s Repeated Failure to Disclose His Campaign Finances: Is it Incompetence or Dishonesty?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
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press@montanademocrats.org
Zinke’s Repeated Failure to Disclose His Campaign Finances: Is it Incompetence or Dishonesty?
Helena, MT – For the second time in a single campaign cycle, Ryan Zinke, Republican candidate for Montana’s new Western District, has filed his campaign financial disclosure late. 37 days late, to be exact. Zinke also failed to request an extension for the deadline.
His filing reveals that he is consulting for a mining exploration company U.S. Gold Corp, and that he is still receiving pay from a shadowy Dallas-based oil and gas investment firm JVL. He has made over $1.3 million in consulting fees for the oil and gas industry since stepping down from the Department of the Interior. Is this what he was trying to hide?
He missed the deadline for filing his first financial disclosure in 2021 as well, filing 5 months late in November. When he finally submitted it, his disclosure revealed that he had received $460,000 in consulting fees from ConocoPhillips. His Democratic challenger Monica Tranel publicly called on the multinational oil conglomerate to remove him from payroll, bringing national media attention to Zinke’s financial ties.
Zinke has lied to the public and to ethics investigators time and time again, throughout his scandal-ridden career. The 18 investigations into his tenure at the Department of Interior reveal his shocking tendency to break the rules in order to enrich himself.
“Lyin’ Ryan Zinke’s repeated failure to meet basic campaign rules reveals his true disdain for transparency and integrity,” says Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. “It’s clear that Zinke seeks public office simply to enrich himself. But Montana has a long, proud history of throwing out copper kings. Voters will remind Zinke of that this November.”
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