Senator enters flap over governor’s emails

A Republican state senator was joined by computer forensics expert Wednesday in criticizing Gov. Steve Bullock for deleting emails from his days as attorney general.

Sen. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, is the latest Republican to chastise the Democratic governor now in a re-election campaign against GOP challenger Greg Gianforte.

State officials have denied any wrongdoing, saying the governor followed proper protocols as attorney general and then elected governor in 2012.

Robin Jackson, a Helena-based computer expert with WT Forensics, said Bullock and senior staff members had a responsibility to save the records.

Jackson is a winner of the U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Crime Forensics Competition.

Hansen said she had “serious concerns” over the missing emails and criticized governor’s staff for deflecting blame by saying the state Legislature did not appropriate the money needed for records retention.

She said it was a violation of state law as outgoing officials are to give official records to successors. And, she noted, laws the outline records management duties.

Jason Pitt, a spokesman for Bullock, dismissed the complaint and blamed the Gianforte campaign for the news conference. He said Gianforte was “now throwing every silly attack he can at the wall in hopes something will stick. Montanans see right through it because they know Steve Bullock raised the bar on transparency and accountability.”

A spokesman for the Montana Republican Party said Bullock and senior staff did not follow rules.

“What Bullock did is a clear violation of the law and he’s concealing the truth rather than coming clean about what he has done,” Shane Scanlon said. “This is just the latest example of Bullock believing he is above the law and accountable to no one.”

Hansen said it was incumbent for Bullock and his staff to save those emails. She produced a list of eight senior staff members with the Department of Justice who also had emails deleted.

Hansen also noted a list of subjects in which she said emails had been deleted. they included the Citizens United and the U.S. Supreme Court trial, the Otter Creek Coal vote, suing the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and appeals for convicted killer Barry Beach.

The issue has sparked debate after Yellowstone Club founder Tim Blixseth requested emails from 2008-2012 when Bullock served as attorney general. Blixseth was told those emails no longer existed. Blixseth said he is planning on filing a civil rights complaint against the state and others in his dispute over the Big Sky resort and wanted to review all related emails.

A spokesman for current Attorney General Tim Fox said the emails were never passed along.

State Sen. Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, then asked Fox to look into the matter.

A staff member with Fox said they did not have the statutory authority to investigate this matter outside of making inquiries with existing employees at the Department of Justice.

Bullock’s staff said he turned over public records, documents and case files from his time as attorney general to his successor when he left office. The staff then said, as common practice, the email accounts were closed.

Hansen, entering her fourth term in the Legislature in January, said she has kept all of her emails since she has been in office.