The Associated Press reports “[Jon] Tester is embracing a practice he once held against his opponent: taking contributions from lobbyists and executives of corporations while helping craft a government spending package that directs billions of dollars.”
This follows a story in POLITICO showing Tester now lets lobbyists write his bills word for word.
NRSC Statement: “Jon Tester has become everything he ran against to get elected. Montanans are going to fire Tester for his stunning hypocrisy and apparent corruption.” – NRSC Spokeswoman Maggie Abboud
In case you missed it…
Defense industry dollars flowed to a Democratic senator after he gained a key role on spending
Associated Press
Stephen Groves
June 23, 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Democrat Jon Tester headed for a surprise victory in his 2006 U.S. Senate race, he attacked his incumbent Montana Republican rival’s close ties to lobbyists and committed himself to a rigorous ethics standard.
Now as he looks to win a fourth term in a race that could decide control of the Senate, Tester is embracing a practice he once held against his opponent: taking contributions from lobbyists and executives of corporations while helping craft a government spending package that directs billions of dollars.
After Tester became chair of the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee in 2021, he received campaign contributions totaling over $160,000 from employees and committees representing the defense industry. At one point last year, 49 Lockheed Martin executives and lobbyists — none of whom had given to the senator in the past — gave Tester’s campaign a combined total of nearly $50,000.
…
Read the full story HERE.