#MTGov Daily Rundown: Did Bullock's Trip to the Paul McCartney Concert Violate the Gift Ban?

New questions are being raised in the scandal of Governor Steve Bullock's trip in the state plane to Missoula. According to a KGVO radio interview with Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl, Bullock receiving a free ticket to the concert from the University of Montana could violate Montana's law against gifts to public officials.

"There may be even more to the story about Governor Steve Bullock’s attendance at the Paul McCartney Concert in 2014. The University of Montana says private funds were used to purchase the tickets for everyone, including the Governor, but that the cost of those tickets and who paid for them wasn’t readily available. Cheap tickets at that concert ran at around 50 dollars or more and Bullock had much more expensive President’s Box seats, which, as Montana Political Practices Commissioner Jonathan Motl explains, could be an ethics violation.

“There is a state law, it’s not a campaign practice law, it’s an ethics law, its 2-2-102 subsection 3 of the Montana Code Annotated and it defines a gift of substantial value as a gift with a value of $50 or more for an individual,” Motl said. “That is a gift that a public official isn’t supposed to be taking.” -KGVO, 9/12/2015


Governor Bullock was caught earlier this year abusing his state plane privileges again, as it emerged that he flew in the state plane to Missoula for a Paul McCartney concert.

“After a row over inappropriate uses of the state airplane, Montana Governor Steve Bullock is now being asked if that plane was used for personal enjoyment. Flight logs indicate that the state plane landed at Missoula International Airport at 4:03 P.M., just about an hour before the doors were open to the public at the Paul McCartney concert on August 5, 2014. The concert was possibly the highest profile music event in Montana’s history and many high-profile attendees were in the crowd, including Montana Governor Steve Bullock.”  -KGVO, 7/8/2016

State Reps. Ryan Osmundson and  Brad Tschida have called Bullock's flight to the concert an "egregious misuse" of the state plane.
"It has also been revealed that, in August of 2014, the governor flew in the state plane to Missoula to attend a Paul McCartney concert. First of all, Missoula is less than 120 miles from Helena. Second, flying the governor to rock concerts is an egregious misuse of the state aircraft." - -Ryan Osmundson and Brad Tschida, Helena IR, 9/5/2016


Last Friday, it was revealed by KGVO radio that Montana taxpayers had not only paid for Gov. Bullock to fly to the Paul McCartney concert in Missoula, they had also paid for the Commerce Director Meg O'Leary to make the trip.
"When the state plane flew to Missoula for the Paul McCartney Concert in August of 2014, Governor Bullock was joined by Montana Department of Commerce Director Meg O’Leary. Oddly, Meg O’Leary wasn’t specifically invited, but Montana taxpayers funded the trip anyway." -KGVO, 9/9/2016


KGVO also discovered that O'Leary, as a state official, has been attending functions for the dark money DGA, including while Bullock was chairman.

On May 1, 2015 O’Leary appeared with Bullock at the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby. Photos of both were snapped by a team of photographers from the Voice-Tribune that includes Max Sharp, Chris Humphreys, Bill Wine, Tim Valentino and Amber Chaflin on May First and published in a photo gallery titled Kentucky Oaks 141." -KGVO, 9/9/2016

http://voice-tribune.smugmug.com/Kentucky-Oaks-141/i-4wjqZJr

http://voice-tribune.smugmug.com/Kentucky-Oaks-141/i-v3sPtc4