HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The Latest on a dispute over the secretary of state’s contract with a Republican consultant’s wife (all times local):
3:40 p.m.
Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton is firing back at Attorney General Tim Fox for saying Stapleton needlessly hired a Republican political consultant’s wife to represent him instead of using lawyers from the attorney general’s office.
Stapleton Chief of Staff Christi Jacobsen said Friday that Fox’s comments were hypocritical and showed that Fox “wanted to roll over” in the state Democratic Party’s lawsuit challenging Stapleton’s certification of the Green Party for the 2018 elections.
Fox previously called Stapleton’s decision to hire Billings attorney Emily Jones a “political decision” that needlessly cost $60,000 in a case that was lost.
Fox spokesman John Barnes says Fox was defending his staff after Stapleton said he wanted someone he could trust in the courtroom.
Jones is the wife of political consultant Jake Eaton. Fox, Stapleton and Eaton are all Republicans.
___
10:55 a.m.
Montana’s attorney general says Secretary of State Corey Stapleton needlessly spent nearly $60,000 to hire a Republican political consultant’s wife to represent the office in a lawsuit earlier this year.
Republican Attorney General Tim Fox’s comments to Montana Public Radio comes after an Associated Press investigation found that Stapleton, a Republican, awarded a $265,000 contract to GOP consultant Jake Eaton’s printing company this month.
Eaton’s wife, Emily Jones, defended Stapleton’s office in a lawsuit challenging Stapleton’s certification of the Green Party for the 2018 election. The secretary of state’s office lost the case.
Fox says he offered legal services to Stapleton’s office below Jones’ rate, but Stapleton declined. Fox called it “a political decision to needlessly spend $60,000 on outside counsel.”
Stapleton says he hired the law firm he thought had the best chance of winning.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.