Associated Press fact checkers confirmed what the National Republican Senatorial Committee said in a recent announcement. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) was Congress’ “No. 1 recipient of cash from lobbyists in 2018” last year.
The ad noted that a portion of Tester’s travel bills were paid by “special interests” to the tune of $50,000. The group adds that he stole more than $1 million from lobbyists throughout his career. They included clips of Tester speaking out against lobbyist money and saying at an event in 2006: “It’s time for a change, people, and I can guarantee you one thing: I’m not in anyone’s pocket.”
(*1*)—AP reported.
The tester initially claimed it was a “bull”. But it will be arduous for him to explain the numbers. During the last election campaign, he received almost $400,000 from lobbyists, closely followed by another Democrat, Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH).
Lobbying industry representatives contributed $394,478 to Tester’s campaign during the 2018 election when Rosendale posted his tweet on August 24, according to the center’s website, opensecrets.org.
That put him in the top spot among members of Congress receiving contributions from the lobbying industry, just ahead of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, who had $381,033.
The money includes donations from people working at government relations firms or as government relations consultants, political action committees acting on behalf of lobbying firms and state-level lobbyists.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Brown surpassed Tester to climb to the top spot with $430,226 from lobbyists to Tester’s $401,478.
Tester responded to the reports by placing blame on his Republican opponent, State Auditor Matt Rosendale.
“The reason you know this, if it’s true, which I highly doubt, is because all my money is transparent,” Tester said. “For the ads he (Rosendale) runs, we don’t know who pays for them. By the way, this is why we need campaign finance reform, which he opposes.”
Tester campaign spokesman Chris Meagher also pointed out that the senator received $3.24 million from Montanans, which “paled in comparison” to lobbyists’ money.
However, this seems to be a pattern. Tester won the top prize of lobbyist cash again in 2012, when he received more than $500,000.
