Sheehy campaign built upon layers of lies

by Wayne Adair, Hamilton

Tim Sheehy’s recent meet-and-greet event in Darby stands out as an ugly example of a political campaign built on dishonesty, deception, and disinformation.

The senator wannabe lied over and over about the Democratic campaign against him. Lies layered like cheap plywood.

According to Sheehy, Democrats exaggerated his wealth, saying they doubled the size of his fortune and the acreage of his ranch. The Tester campaign never did this; no embellishment was needed. 

He lied about his Cayman Islands experience. “They say I have a yacht there.” Not true. I have followed the campaign closely and no yacht claim was ever floated. Democrats have revealed how he registers his businesses in the tax haven of the Caymans to avoid legitimate taxes with other dishonest millionaires. Sheehy never bothered to deny this ugly reality. 

He claimed, truthfully, for a change, that Democrats doubt his commitment to keeping public lands public, and Sheehy cited his establishment of an aerial firefighting company as proof of his devotion. He failed to mention the profit motive that drives his passion for public lands.

He forgot what he said on the Working Ranch Radio show last October: “Local control has to be returned. Whether that means, you know, some of these public lands get turned over to state agencies or even counties, or whether those decisions are made by a local landlord instead of by … federal fiat a few thousand miles away. Local control will almost always produce better results than a federal mandate…”

Sheehy doesn’t care if Montana taxpayers get saddled with the responsibility of paying his company millions of dollars to fight fires.

His deception continued when the subject of public health care came up. His commitment seems dubious at best, based on a donation he made years ago to a rural hospital. The candidate failed to mention the size of the tax deduction he enjoyed thanks to his “charity.”

Of course, the truth often comes out – from his lips, “We need to return health care to pure privatization…” This damning admission was recorded at a meet-and-greet, no doubt similar to his Darby event, in Glasgow last year.” Montanans understand that health care should never be dependent on the whim of a millionaire.

Perhaps the worst lie he spun that morning was this: In 30 years in government, Sheehy claimed, Jon Tester has done nothing to benefit Montana. Consider a few examples of his successes:

• Tester supported and helped pass the PACT Act benefitting veterans in Montana and beyond.

• He pushed the VA to halt foreclosures for veterans at risk of losing their homes.

• Championed legislation that invested in law enforcement to protect Montanans, cut crime rates, and combat widespread fentanyl abuse.

• Brought millions of federal dollars into our state to modernize roads, bridges, airports, trains, water systems, and access to high-speed internet.

• Helped pass legislation to give the largest pay raise to military members in more than 20 years.

In fact, Jon Tester has done so much for Montanans generally, and veterans, specifically, that Tim Sheehy himself should vote for Senator Tester.