HELENA – Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg said Wednesday that allegations in an attack advertisement by Democratic challenger Dennis McDonald are untrue, and the incumbent is asking television stations to pull it off the air.
The McDonald ad alleges that “questionable behavior” has been behind apparent foibles on the congressman’s part.
Rehberg said Wednesday he is asking that the advertisement be removed by television stations as a false attack and said McDonald, viewed as a longshot in his bid to unseat the incumbent, is making desperate accusations.
“It’s not true,” Rehberg said of the ad. “The people of Montana need to know that.”
The ad references last summer’s boat crash in which Rehberg was a passenger and among those severely injured in a vessel piloted by a state senator currently fighting charges that he was drunk at the time. State Sen. Greg Barkus’ trial in that case does not start until after the election. Rehberg, as a passenger, has never been charged with any wrongdoing.
The advertisement portrays a game show contestant asked to decide “Which Congressman Rehberg stunts are the dumbest?”
Another of the options is Rehberg’s lawsuit earlier this year against the city of Billings over the way firefighters dealt with a 2008 blaze that damaged subdivision land developed by his company. He is seeking money from the city.
At least one station, KULR-8 of Billings, says it has reviewed the advertisement and determined it meets an acceptable threshold for a political campaign advertisement.
McDonald said he thinks it’s fair to highlight the incidents in an advertisement, again arguing that the congressman should have never allowed staffers to get on a boat with an intoxicated driver.
“It’s relevant because his personal conduct has embarrassed Montana on a number of occasions,” McDonald said.
McDonald said that Rehberg’s attempt to take the advertisement off the air shows that the incumbent is “scared” and worried he could lose.