Montana

Audit report finds Ellsworth committed waste, abuse • Daily Montanan

Published

1 year ago

January 24, 2025

Audit report finds Ellsworth committed waste, abuse • Daily Montanan

Former Montana Senate President Jason Ellsworth abused his position of power in a contract he signed with a former associate and rushed the process to finalize it, resulting in a waste of state resources, according to a report by the Legislative Audit Division released Friday.

According to the report, the Department of Administration recognized a problem with a pair of contracts Ellsworth originally wanted approved. In an attempt to rectify the issue, the Department of Administration used an exception to roll the contracts together, but auditors said the process was not justified by state rules.

“The initial effort (by Ellsworth) to artificially bifurcate the contracts and the subsequent acceptance of decisions to forgo proper sole source exceptions and exigency procedures deprived the state of the financial benefits of open competition in procurement, and therefore constituted a waste of state resources,” the report said.

The audit came after news that Ellsworth in December quietly signed a $170,100 contract with a former associate as head of a committee pushing for judicial reform despite committee members considering the expense unwarranted. The contract is in the process of being terminated.

Current Senate President Matt Regier criticized the deal, first reported by the Montana State News Bureau, as improper. Regier referred it to the Legislative Audit Division, which subsequently released the report to Senate leadership on Friday.

Ellsworth did not respond to requests for comment on Friday, but on Wednesday told the Daily Montanan that the allegations amounted to a “political witch hunt.”

Senate leadership began weighing in on the matter Friday afternoon. Minority Leader Sen. Pat Flowers, who had been mostly quiet about the allegations of impropriety, released a prepared statement.

“We take any waste or abuse of taxpayer dollars very seriously. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to hold our colleagues accountable for their actions. It’s clear that Senator Ellsworth’s conduct fell below the high standards Montanans expect from their elected representative. This matter should be referred to the Senate Ethics Committee for further review and an appropriate resolution,” Flowers said.

Regier previously said that an ethics complaint was likely to follow the release of the audit report, but would not respond to questions on Friday.

“I’m reviewing the Legislative Auditor’s initial report in detail and I’m glad to see the Senate Minority finally expressing concern over the situation. I plan to speak more on this highly concerning issue on Monday,” he wrote in a statement.

On Wednesday, Ellsworth told the Daily Montanan he was “fully cooperating” with the audit.

However, the report said the same day, Ellsworth declined to talk with the Legislative Audit Division for the investigation and did not respond to written questions, citing the need to secure a lawyer.

“He did not respond to our written questions, and we have considered his public statements, where relevant, and have relied on the factual evidence of his actions as supported by official documents and witness interviews,” the report said.

In December, Ellsworth attempted to enter into two contracts totaling $170,100 to hire Bryce Eggleston, with Agile Analytics, to conduct analysis of 27 bills throughout and after the 69th Legislature. The bills all came from the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform, which Ellsworth formed while he was president and led as chairman.

But the report said Ellsworth first pressed to have two contracts approved, both under $100,000. The pair of contracts, one governing 14 bills and the other 13, were written to have all of the money paid to Agile up front, for flat fees of $88,200 and $81,900.

The report found no “no logical reason” the contracts were split but said they were divided to “unlawfully avoid oversight of the contracts by the Division of Administration,” which oversees procurements of more than $100,000.

“State law specifically prohibits artificially dividing contracts to avoid the required procurement process. Thus, these actions constitute an abuse of his government position by the former Senate President,” the audit report said.

During a meeting of the Senate Select Committee in December, Ellsworth asked the committee about hiring someone to track the committee’s bills through the session and provide regular reports and analysis, but his ask was for “someone ‘cheap’ such as a college student,” the report states.

The report notes that “even that modest proposal was disfavored by the committee members,” and committee member Sen. Daniel Emrich earlier told the Daily Montanan he felt “lied to” by Ellsworth’s actions.

Thus, the subsequent $170,000 consulting expenses constituted abuse of his position, according to the report.

Ellsworth contracted Eggleston, of Agile Analytics, a company that filed with the Montana Secretary of State in 2024, to do the analysis. Eggleston and Ellsworth have a long history of personal and business relationships.

The report also called the timeline into question, as Ellsworth initially presented the two contracts to the Legislative Services Division on Dec. 26, a Thursday between two government holidays and just five days before the funds appropriated to the select committee would expire.

The timing “caused an inappropriate use of staff time during what otherwise would have been a weekend or holiday in impossible [sic] attempt to correct an illegal contract constituted a waste of state resources.”

Emails between Ellsworth and staff with Legislatives Services and Department of Administration show that staff worked until the afternoon of Dec. 31 to correct and submit the contracts.

Sen. Jason Ellsworth sits through a Senate committee during the 69th Montana Legislature. (Keila Szpaller/ Daily Montanan)

Report details

Legislative attorney Jaret Coles on Dec. 27 informed Department of Administration Director Misty Ann Giles the two contracts from Ellsworth were likely invalid, but worried since both contracts had been signed.

“‘Long story short, the president (Ellsworth) attempted to enter into 2 contracts without our support the day after Christmas,” Coles said on Dec. 27.

Giles, who was on vacation, referred the matter to Department of Administration’s procurement operations manager, who asked why the “two seemingly identical contracts were executed rather than one,” and the department decided to combine them.

It said the final contract was one “sole source” contract, requiring monthly payments, but it took extraordinary work to write the agreement for Ellsworth at the last minute and during the holiday. By law, a sole-source contract of more than $100,000 must be publicly noticed for 10 business days.

The report said that in a normal situation, the Department of Administration would have stopped the process, but staff felt they were working “under exigent circumstances” because the appropriation from the governor’s office (for that committee) expired on Dec. 31. It said there wasn’t enough time to post for 10 business days as required by the “sole source exception.”

“Giles stated that, because a separate branch of government was involved, they felt they had to respect the separation of powers and have a ‘softer touch,’” the report said. “While acknowledging that the legal definition of exigency did not really apply here, they treated it as an exigent circumstance due to the imminent expiration of the Governor’s Office appropriation.”

A department spokesperson told the Daily Montanan earlier this week that “the Department of Administration’s State Procurement Services Division takes its responsibility of stewarding taxpayer dollars seriously.”

The audit report concludes that due to the timeline, and initial splitting of the contract, it could not meet the state’s definition of an “exigent circumstance.”

After Ellsworth’s contract came to light, he requested a termination of the agreement, stating a desire from Eggleston to avoid politics. Agile had already submitted an invoice, but Legislative Services Division did not plan to pay it.

Ellsworth earlier said concerns about the contract were a “manufactured controversy” and continued to maintain he had not crossed ethical lines in executing the deal.

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Montana

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

Published

2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

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Montana

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

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