Senator Defends Contract While Moving to Terminate It, Calls Probe a ‘Manufactured Controversy’
Montana State Senator Jason Ellsworth (R-Hamilton) has moved to cancel a $170,100 no-bid contract that he signed in the final days of 2024, which has drawn scrutiny from within his own party and prompted an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deal. The contract, inked with former business associate Bryce Eggleston of Agile Analytics, was intended to evaluate and report on key judicial reform bills introduced by Ellsworth’s Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform.
Ellsworth initially defended the contract, asserting that it had been properly vetted and approved. He stood by the decision, claiming that the work was necessary and in the best interest of the Republican-led Senate. However, faced with growing questions from GOP leadership, including Senate President Matt Regier (R-Kalispell), Ellsworth chose to dissolve the contract to quell the mounting political controversy.
The Contract and the Controversy
The contract, which was awarded with no competitive bidding, raised alarm bells among Ellsworth’s colleagues. It came on the heels of a decision by the Senate committee not to hire outside contractors for such work, making Ellsworth’s actions appear inconsistent with the committee’s direction. Adding to the intrigue was the fact that Agile Analytics, which Eggleston registered just weeks before the contract was signed, had little to no history of working with the state, raising concerns about the legitimacy of the award.
The award of the contract had been swiftly arranged during the final days of 2024, and its details were first reported by the Montana State News Bureau. Republican leaders, including Regier, expressed concern over the rushed nature of the deal and its potential to tarnish the party’s reputation. Regier stated that the situation had caused a “tremendous black eye” not only for the party but also for the Senate and the state itself.
Ellsworth, however, rejected suggestions of wrongdoing. “I don’t regret the contract,” he said in a statement on Monday. “It was properly vetted and approved, and I believed it was the best thing for the Senate at the time.” But, recognizing the growing distraction, Ellsworth ultimately decided to move forward with the termination of the contract, stating that Eggleston no longer wished to proceed with the work.
The Political Fallout
The termination of the contract is unlikely to quell the controversy entirely. Regier and other Republican members of the Senate have expressed interest in a deeper investigation into how the contract came about. Regier indicated that he would file an ethics complaint, though as of publication time, that complaint had not yet been submitted.
Ellsworth, undeterred, dismissed the investigation as a politically motivated attack. In a written statement, he referred to the controversy as a “manufactured controversy,” arguing that the investigation was part of a broader political maneuver aimed at undermining his influence within the GOP.
Ellsworth has been at odds with certain factions of his party for some time, particularly after he and eight other Republicans joined Democrats in a key vote to reject the Senate rules proposed by the majority GOP leadership. The decision to move forward with the contract and its subsequent cancellation appears to be the latest chapter in this ongoing rift, and Ellsworth’s critics are seizing on the situation to accuse him of undermining the party’s unity.
Ellsworth’s Defiance and His Political Future
While Ellsworth’s cancellation of the contract may seem like an attempt to mitigate the fallout, his public statements suggest that he remains defiant. He views the investigation into his actions as a politically motivated distraction, one that detracts from the work of judicial reform, an issue he is passionate about.
“I want to continue down the path of judicial reform, not get distracted by something that is being politicized,” Ellsworth said on Monday. “We are united on the important issues, but this controversy is a manufactured issue that has no real bearing on the work we’re doing.”
Despite the political storm swirling around him, Ellsworth’s decision to act decisively and cancel the contract may help him regain some favor within the party. However, the lingering questions about the propriety of the contract, the circumstances of its signing, and his strained relationship with GOP leadership suggest that this controversy may have lasting political consequences.
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