Montana Senate declines to expel former president after ethics report and lengthy debate

The Montana Senate on Monday debated and then failed to meet the two-thirds threshold to expel Senator Jason Ellsworth after an ethics committee report alleged improper contracting practices by the senator while he served as Senate president.

Senator Mandeville, who moved the expulsion, described the ethics record and contracts at issue and told colleagues the committee’s record established that “the senator used his position as senate president to attempt to steer tens of thousands of dollars over $170,000 to his friend upfront without work having been performed.” The motion to expel did not obtain the necessary two-thirds concurrence; the final recorded vote on the floor was 27 in favor and 23 opposed, and the motion failed.

Why it matters: the ethics committee’s findings, the contested facts about contracting and disclosure, and the floor debate all raise questions about procurement controls and disclosure practices in legislative operations. Senators argued both for strict punishment and for proportional discipline; some urged censure rather than expulsion.

What the ethics report…