Week of Monday, June 4, 2018
IN BRIEF: Montana Republicans head to the polls tomorrow to choose between three abysmal candidates who have launched bitter attacks against each other.
- Matt Rosendale, a Maryland real estate developer who has been dogged by attacks from his fellow Republicans and news reports that he claims to be a rancher, but never owned any cattle; that he signed two documents under penalty of perjury claiming to be a Maryland resident in 2015; and that he is backed by out-of-state special interests, not Montanans.
- Troy Downing, a California millionaire who has only lived in Montana for three years and is in legal jeopardy for pretending to be a Montana resident to buy discounted resident hunting licenses. “Downing is facing seven misdemeanors for unlawful purchase of or applying for a resident license by a nonresident,” reports the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
- Russell Fagg, who has been the subject of two ethics complaints for illegal and unethical campaign activity while still working as a judge. Meanwhile, Fagg has come under fire for his support for a 4% sales tax that would raise prices on nearly everything Montana families buy.
THREE TO WATCH:
- Kevin Cramer: After lashing out at the White House for inviting Sen. Heidi Heitkamp to a bill signing, Cramer got the bad news that the Koch brothers are spending in North Dakota — against him. To no one’s surprise, he promptly lashed out again. Will Cramer ever learn to get those emotions under control?
- Rick Scott: First, he said he wouldn’t change the Trump administration’s disastrous Puerto Rico response. Then, Floridians found out that nursing homes deregulated by Scott are woefully underprepared for the upcoming hurricane season. Scott’s apparently been too busy campaigning to help his state prepare for another round of storms.
- Josh Hawley: He originally said that eight members of the governor’s staff used the self-destructing messaging app Confide — and found no evidence of wrongdoing. But Friday, Cole County Judge Jon Beetem shattered Hawley’s attempt to portray his investigation as thorough: it turns out 20 members of Greitens’s staff tried to hide state business.
THREE NUMBERS:
- 62,000: Puerto Ricans who were still without power as of April.
- 4,600: Puerto Ricans who are estimated to have died in the storm or its aftermath.
- 50: Minimum percentage of the housing on the island that is considered “informal” — meaning it’s ineligible for federal relief.
- … And Rick Scott can’t think of a single way he’d improve on the Trump administration’s recovery effort.
ONE FOR THE ROAD: “Don’t Make Me Wait” (2018) by Sting and Shaggy
AND HAPPY MONDAY from American Bridge. Follow us at @JoshuaKarp @philmunson@AmeliaPenniman @EmmaBeckerman1
Published: Jun 4, 2018 | Last Modified: Feb 1, 2024