Correcting the record

by Rep. David Bedey (R-Hamilton), House District 86

Recently, I called out the John Birch Society’s takeover of the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee (RCRCC). Theresa Manzella’s followers have responded by trying to mislead you about my record. So let’s set the record straight.

Start with the Montana GOP platform. The committee demanded that in exchange for contributing $1,000 to my reelection campaign, I must swear allegiance to the platform. I responded as follows: “As elected officials, legislators take an oath to support, protect, and defend the Constitutions of the United States and the state of Montana—not to slavishly adhere to party platforms, which are narrowly focused and susceptible to the vicissitudes of hyper-partisanship. Therefore, I respectfully decline this contribution as inconsistent with my oath of office as well as my responsibility to represent the citizens of the district that I serve.”

While I agree with much in the platform, there are a few parts I cannot support.  The first is its call for an absolute abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother. This extreme position is rejected by most Montanans, including many—if not most—pro-life Republicans (of whom I am one). Second is its assertion that legislators have “a right and duty to nullify federal laws.” This dangerous misreading of the Constitution is a formula for anarchy. And finally, I disagree with platform language meant to undermine public confidence in Montana’s election system. It is true that I was booed when raising these concerns at the party’s 2022 convention. But I will not compromise my conservative principles or neglect my constitutional duties for any reason, let alone to appease party activists.

RCRCC spokesmen accuse me of introducing legislation that opens voting to noncitizens and of advocating open borders. The first claim portrays willful ignorance of the law. The second is an outright lie that needn’t be dignified with a reply. Here are the facts. Most people don’t realize that nowhere in the U.S. is voter citizenship verified. Why not? Because under federal law a person registering to vote cannot be required to prove citizenship and is presumed to be—and must be treated as—a U.S. citizen. Attempts in other states to verify citizenship have failed in federal court. To overcome court challenge, it was necessary in HB 402 to allow a person to register and vote while citizenship verification is pending. Had the bill passed, Montana would have been the first state to confirm voter citizenship so that those abusing our voting laws could be caught and punished. Like it or not, until federal law changes, a bill like HB 402 is the best we can do. But Manzella’s allies joined with ACLU progressives to kill it. Consequently, some unknown number of noncitizens continue to vote with impunity in Montana.

They go on to claim that I voted to make Montanans susceptible to “Biden’s Central Banking Digital Currency.” This nonsense refers to SB 370, an update of a law (Montana’s Uniform Commercial Code) that governs financial transactions for companies engaged in interstate commerce. The bill was amended to make plain that it did not “support, endorse, create, or implement a national digital currency.” Nevertheless, for crass political purposes Manzella and her friends torpedoed it, despite the adverse effect this will have on Montana businesses.

The RCRCC leadership’s responses to my open letter have confirmed they are willing to pursue their agenda “by any means necessary.” Good to know.