Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney | Facebook
Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney | Facebook
Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney has had an official ethics complaint filed against him by the Montana Republican Party after the lieutenant governor confessed he has used taxpayer resources to benefit his campaign, according to a press release from the Montana GOP.
The complaint against Cooney came after he admitted to illegally using his office to discuss a campaign strategy with the Democratic Governors' Association, the release states.
“Lieutenant Governor Cooney must be held accountable for breaching the public’s trust through his blatant use of taxpayer resources to advance his own political ambitions. This violation brings into serious question whether Montanans can trust Cooney with the responsibility and privilege of governing our state,” executive director Spenser Merwin, who filed the complaint with the state's Commissioner of Political Practices, said in the statement from the Montana GOP.
Cooney claims it was an isolated incident, but there are reports of him being accused of using resources for similar reasons during a 2002 campaign, the press release states.
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