I’ve heard enough. “Dr. Al” Olszewski has spent the better part of a decade lying to Montana, dividing conservatives, and has used his post as county GOP chairman to pull good candidates down, rather than working to elevate all. He personally has lost three consecutive primaries for U.S. Senate, governor, Congress, and now that he’s running for Congress against Aaron Flint, he’s up to his lies again. The only thing stopping Al from being a career politician is the common sense of the Montana voters.
Let’s examine the facts:
Lie 1: If you’ve been to one of his speeches, you’d think Al was a combat hardened special operations warrior jumping out of airplanes and flying fighter jets.
Fact: Wrong and wrong. Al was a doctor, and from what I understand very capable. But not what he says. All service is honorable and Al should be proud of his service as an Air Force staff physician who served stateside. There is never an excuse for stolen valor.
Lie 2: Al says he has the support of the “Docs Caucus” in Congress.
Fact: I spoke with Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy from North Carolina who chairs the caucus and confirmed that too is a lie. A photo op in a public place is not tantamount to an endorsement.
Lie 3: Al says he can’t be bought.
Fact: After the 2022 primary campaign, Al asked me to pay off his $300,000 debt in exchange for his endorsement. Sorry, I don’t play that game.
Lie 4: Al lied about my career, lied about my record serving in the Trump Administration, lied that Trump didn’t support my campaign, and claimed I’m from California!
Fact: Al spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote those Democrat attack ads to throw the election, but the voters know the truth.
Now facing another campaign that he is sure to lose, Al has shifted his lies to proven Conservative and Trump-endorsed candidate, Lt. Colonel Aaron Flint.
Lie 1: Says Aaron Flint isn’t from the district.
Fact: Aaron grew up in Glasgow and the Flathead. His family homesteaded in Niarada (border of Flathead and Sanders), his dad was a bartender at the Bierstube, and Flint Street in Whitefish is named after his family who deployed to World War I and II from Whitefish Depot. He and his amazing wife attended UM, married in Trout Creek, their kids were born in Missoula, and they live in Kalispell.
Lie 2: Says Aaron doesn’t have legislative experience.
Fact: Aside from his exceptional military record and career in local broadcasting, Aaron has worked for Senator Conrad Burns, Governor Greg Gianforte, and was my State Director. In fact, he is the only candidate with congressional legislative experience.
Lie 3: Al calls Aaron the “anointed one” and claims the primary was rigged against him.
Fact: I don’t know who is going to tell Al, but there is a contested primary and he was the first to jump in. No one appoints anyone to the People’s House. The Montana voters decide.
Honestly, that is just as outrageous as Christi Jacobson saying President Trump would have endorsed her if he had known she was running. President Trump’s complete and total endorsement of Aaron Flint was no mistake and it’s a lie to state otherwise.
Montanans deserve the truth, and the truth is liars lie. The other truth is, Al is for Al.
As the chairman of the Flathead County GOP – the most Republican county in the district – Al’s failed leadership resulted in a Portland socialist being elected mayor of Kalispell. This was directly Al’s doing as he spent the last four years dividing conservatives to tighten his grip on the party. He insists on a purity test and essentially endorsed a Libertarian, refused to help a good Republican candidate in the race, and elected a socialist in a 60%+ Republican county.
Al is on his way out at the county party, but not before endorsing himself for Congress and funneling thousands of dollars from the committee to his own campaign. This is the kind of dirty, swampy tactics he claims to oppose. Montana deserves to be represented by someone who is truthful. We may agree or disagree on policy, but we should all agree that we can do better than lyin’ Al.
Ryan Zinke is a Republican U.S. congressman representing western Montana.