(Montana – MFP) The ethics hearing into former state Senate president Jason Ellsworth’s contract dealings with a longtime business associate closed Saturday with conflicting arguments about whether the lawmaker deliberately skirted disclosure laws.
Special Counsel Adam Duerk argued that Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, had tried twice in 2024 to award government work to former business associate Bryce Eggleston.
Ellsworth’s attorney, Joan Mell, told the ethics committee that the investigation into the Senate’s 2023 president wasn’t impartial. Ellsworth never testified before the committee and monitored the proceedings via Zoom. The senator has been participating in the legislative session remotely since earlier this month.
This story was first reported by the Montana Free Press
