The Attorney General is Montana’s chief law enforcement officer and leads the Montana Highway Patrol. The person who holds that position should know how to protect Montanans, support officers and understand our constitutional rights.
Austin Knudsen has proved, once again, that he is not the right person for the job.
An internal survey of the Highway Patrol revealed serious problems with Knudsen’s leadership. Montana is in the middle of a drug crisis and almost half the troopers are not optimistic about the leadership or direction of the agency. According to one trooper, the “organization is a sinking ship caused by the Attorney General micromanaging the MHP.” Another commented that Knudsen “has no clue how to run the agency.” The report made several recommendations to improve leadership and performance.
An effective leader would have implemented those recommendations and made the document available to the public. The report was paid for with public funds, does not contain sensitive personal information and is a public document under Article II, § 9 of the Montana Constitution, which provides:
No person shall be deprived of the right to examine documents or to observe the deliberations of all public bodies or agencies of state government and its subdivisions, except in cases in which the demand of individual privacy clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure.
But Knudsen is not an effective leader. He responded by ignoring the recommendations and trying to cover up the report. He even terminated a respected highway trooper for sharing the report with colleagues.
The Attorney General is now trying to bully the press in a clumsy effort to hide his incompetence. The Daily Montanan, an online news outlet dedicated to fair and independent news coverage, published a copy of the report on its website. The Attorney General’s office recently sent a “cease and desist” letter to the Daily Montanan, threatening it with legal action for making a public document available.
Knudsen’s conduct is embarrassing and dangerous. The Attorney General cannot use his position to silence or intimidate reporters. In addition to Montanans’ constitutional right to examine public documents, the First Amendment protects the freedom of the press, which helps ensure the government is held accountable to the people. The people of Montana have a right to know that the Attorney General is mismanaging the Highway Patrol.
The Attorney General should defend our constitutional rights—not violate them. Our upcoming election will afford Montana voters the chance to go in a different direction. Let’s turn the page from Knudsen, away from the culture war nonsense and toward a serious commitment to common sense government with a focus on the issues that matter, like protecting the safety of Montanans and promoting access to public lands.
I’m a husband, father of four, fourth-generation Montanan, and an experienced attorney committed to fighting crime, supporting law enforcement and taking on drug traffickers. And I promise you, if I receive recommendations about improving law enforcement and supporting the highway patrol, I will not try to hide the report from the public or threaten the press.
Ben Alke is the Democratic candidate for Montana Attorney General.