Rehberg Attacks McDonald On 'Judgement'

The Montana Republican Party released a television ad Tuesday on behalf of Denny Rehberg, questioning Dennis McDonald’s judgement during his tenure as an attorney.

“We honestly expected Rehberg to talk about his track record in Washington, but instead, he attacks McDonald on the topic of judgement,” said Martin Kidston, spokesman for the Montana Democratic Party. “If they want to talk about judgement, let’s talk about Rehberg allowing his staff to ride with a drunken boater, or his lawsuit against Montana firefighters.”

Campaign finance reports show the Rehberg campaign contributed $125,000 to the Montana GOP. In turn, the Montana GOP gave $115,000 to “47 North Communications,” which is run by Rehberg's former state director Dustin Frost.

Frost was critically injured while riding with Rehberg in a boat last year on Flathead Lake. Upon his recovery, Frost left Rehberg’s office to begin 47 North Communications and received $115,000 from the GOP for television and advertising purposes.

The new Rehberg ad focuses entirely on McDonald and questions the candidate’s judgement. It says nothing about Rehberg’s tenure in Washington or his accomplishments over the past 10 years.

“It doesn’t talk about Rehberg’s accomplishment because there isn’t much to talk about,” Kidston added. “It’s hard to fill a 30-second television spot when you haven’t done anything in ten years. Not even the Montana GOP could find something to highlight.”