Watchdog Group Seeks Sen. Fielder’s Emails on Land Transfers
Photo: Thom Bridge, Independent Record
By: Tristan Scott, Flathead Beacon, November 1, 2016
A government watchdog group has asked Montana’s senate president to intervene in a records request aimed at determining whether Republican Sen. Jennifer Fielder misused state resources to promote the platform of the American Lands Council, an organization leading the charge for western states to take over federal lands.
Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, was named CEO of the American Lands Council (ALC) in February and is seeking re-election this month to her post in Senate District 7, which she has held since 2013.
She denies using her state legislative email account or other public resources to conduct ALC business or advocate on its behalf, and says she hasn’t had time to fulfill the records request, which she called politically motivated.