Yesterday, End Citizens United (ECU) filed a complaint with the Department of Justice (DOJ) calling for an investigation into Montana U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. The complaint alleges that Sheehy failed to file a complete and accurate personal financial disclosure report to prevent Montanans from identifying corruption and conflicts of interest.
The Hill: Liberal group files complaint over Montana GOP Senate candidate’s financial disclosure
Caroline Vakil and Taylor Giorno
1/17/24
Key points:
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The liberal nonprofit End Citizens United filed a complaint against Tim Sheehy, the frontrunner in Montana’s U.S. Senate GOP primary, alleging he’s missing some details on his personal financial disclosure.
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In a complaint filed on Wednesday and shared first with The Hill, End Citizens United alleges the Senate hopeful failed to disclose nine separate investments’ underlying assets that “do not appear to qualify as [Excepted Investment Funds].”
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“The public has a right to know this information to assess whether Mr. Sheehy may have financial interests that could pose a conflict of interest,” End Citizens United wrote in the complaint.
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The group also alleges that Sheehy failed to disclose financial details related to his book, “Mudslingers: A True Story of Aerial Firefight (An American Origins Story),” which came out last month, and re-disclose more than $7 million in compensation that he reported in one section of the form but needed to also note in another section.
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End Citizens United pointed to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics’ financial disclosure instructions and report for 2022 in making their legal case that Sheehy’s disclosure raised questions.
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“You must disclose any underlying asset that had a value exceeding $1,000 at the end of the reporting period or generated more than $200 in unearned income during the reporting period,” the rules say.
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The liberal nonprofit also pointed to language in the Senate rules that noted that filers had to disclose “agreements or arrangements,” including those that pertained to “future employment (including any current arrangement with a publisher to write a book or any portion thereof for compensation).”
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As it relates to the re-disclosure of compensation in a later section of the form, the Senate rules note that for those filing their first personal financial disclosure or a candidate, they must list where any sources of income over $5,000 are coming from.
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End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller accused Sheehy in a statement of “engaging in shady political practices.”
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“This is a calculated move intended to prevent Montanans from identifying corruption and conflicts of interest,” she alleged. “Voters are wary of the fact that he’s an out-of-state multi-millionaire running for public office, and they deserve transparent, detailed disclosure reports in order to scrutinize his financial interests. We urge the DOJ to investigate Sheehy and hold him accountable for withholding this critical information.”
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