Robocalls by disruptors condemned in AG race

Automated phone calls purporting to be from a group claiming to support Lee Bruner for Attorney General were being made on the Saturday before the primary.  Both Republican candidates — Tim Fox and Lee Bruner — have denounced these calls.  They have presumably been made by persons unknown who wish to disrupt our primary, and Republicans should ignore them.  Please see the following press releases by Tim Fox and Lee Bruner.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31, 2008

CONTACT
Chuck Denowh: 239-5952

GOP AG Candidate Fox and MT GOP Chairman Iverson Denounce Dirty Campaigning

(Helena) – Republican candidate for Attorney General Tim Fox today denounced illegal and deceptive campaign techniques being employed by a few Democrat operatives in Montana.  He specifically pointed to recent illegal auto-dial messages apparently paid for by a Democrat-affiliated group.

On Saturday, May 31, the Tim Fox campaign began fielding calls from supporters who had received recorded auto-dial messages that criticized Fox and urged voters to support Lee Bruner in the June 3^rd Republican Primary Election.  The auto-dials also contained the disclaimer language “Paid for by Citizens for Strong Law Enforcement.”  There is no record of such a group existing in Montana.  The Bruner campaign also received calls from Montanans who decried the use of these false and illegal recorded phone calls.

“This is politics at its worst,” said Fox. “This is the kind of mudslinging that has so many Americans turned off of the political process.  I can tell you plainly that I will not participate in this kind of illegal and negative behavior during the General Election.”

Montana campaign finance laws require any organization making expenditures in a political race to file campaign finance disclosure reports.  Recorded auto-dial calls of this type are illegal under Montana law.

“Lee Bruner didn’t have anything to do with this and obviously neither did Tim Fox. Which means its probably a group working to elect Democrats in Montana; and that’s very disappointing,” said Montana Republican Party Chairman Erik Iverson. “It seems that every election some Democrat-affiliated group pulls a stunt like this. Montana voters deserve better.”

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News Release – Lee Bruner for Attorney General (R) Contact: Lee Bruner                                                                  For Immediate Release Phone: (406) 490-4887 Email: lee@leebruner.com Bruner disclaims phone calls attacking opponent BUTTE, MONT. — Lee Bruner, a Republican candidate for Montana Attorney General, today stated that his campaign was informed Saturday, May 31, 2008, that some voters received phone calls attacking his Republican opponent.  Bruner stated that he has no knowledge of the source of these calls, nor the responsible party. Lee Bruner stated, “As a candidate for Attorney General, it disturbs me that these calls may have been made in violation of Montana law.  I am, at this moment, perplexed.  All the information I have received is second hand, it is the weekend before the primary election, and I have no idea who is responsible for making the calls.”  Bruner went on to say that he does not approve of his name being associated with an attack on his opponent.  “I made a pledge to run my campaign without resorting to personal vilification, character defamation or whispering campaigns and I have held to that promise throughout the campaign.  I am asking that whoever is behind the phone calls to please stop immediately.” Paid for by Lee Bruner for Attorney General, P.O. Box 4964, Butte, MT 59702