The NRSC is releasing a new video today that exposes Jon Tester for secretly soliciting super PACs to prop up his campaign, despite his earlier promises to reject outside group spending and stop dark money in politics.
From using secret documents that signal to his dark money allies what messages to use in their commercials, to uploading lengthy b-roll footage to ensure outside groups have picture-perfect shots of him to use in their ads, Senator Tester has no shame in breaking his own promise to Montana voters, as long as he can cash in.
This comes after Senator Tester promised that he’s “not going to let a group come in that’s funded by folks outside the State of Montana” and that his campaign is “not going to rely on super PACs or dark money groups.”
“Senator Tester has brought Washington hypocrisy to an all-time low,” said NRSC Spokesman Calvin Moore. “Tester’s double-talk on dark money is exactly why Montanans have grown tired of politicians like him. Integrity matters. Voters won’t forget that Tester’s endless campaign promises to reject out-of-state super PAC money ended up being a complete and total fraud.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Tester routinely uploads “critical updates” to covert pages on his website, telling liberal dark money groups what messages he wants them to use, and when he wants them to spend. See an example of these pages on his site here and examples of these secret documents he’s uploaded here and here.
Shortly after uploading a new document saying “Montanans need to hear from Montana veterans about Tester’s relentless work to bring tough accountability to the VA,” VoteVets – a democratic outside group – came in with a $344,000 ad buy featuring the exact message Tester’s team requested.
Senator Tester has uploaded “b-roll” clips to his YouTube channel to ensure dark money groups can cut and paste professional shots of him into their ads. See the clips here.
Many Democratic outside groups have already used Tester’s clips in their ads in Montana. See examples from Majority Forward, Senate Majority PAC, Montana Hunters and Anglers, and Natural Resources Defense Council.
Democratic dark money groups have already spent nearly $2 million supporting Tester’s re-election.
Yet, Senator Tester still campaigns on a promise to end dark money in politics and has even promised to reject dark money spending. VIDEO: In February 2017, Tester said, “I’m certainly not going to let a group come in that’s funded by folks outside the State of Montana” and buy ads because “that’s not who I’m accountable to.” (KPAX, 2/22/17)
In February 2018, Tester sent out a fundraising email saying his campaign was “not going to rely on super PACs or dark money groups.” (Tester Fundraising Email, 2/27/18)
Tester routinely tweets and posts on social media condemning dark money. See examples here, here and here.