Montana Sen. Jon Tester’s campaign has stepped up its efforts to smear Republican opponent Tim Sheehy’s business ahead of the election, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Sheehy, a Navy SEAL and Republican Senate candidate who is seeking to oust Vulnerable Tester from the Senate this cycle, is behind Bridger Aero, a Montana-based company founded by veterans that makes aerial firefighting aircraft. He was the CEO of Space Corporation. The Navy SEALs have since stepped down from his service during his Senate campaign.
The Wall Street Journal published a scathing report Friday criticizing Tester’s re-election campaign for suggesting that Sheehy’s business, which is made up of employees and shareholders in his home state of Montana, is “failing.”
Short seller Mark Cohodes and several Tester donors sent a letter to the Small Business Administration asking for an investigation into Sheehy’s business over “misstatements” on federal filings, the WSJ reported. It is said that he sent Cohodes was featured in an NBC report in August that suggested Bridger could face financial ruin.
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Tim Sheehy, founder and CEO of Bridger Aerospace and Montana Republican Senate candidate, at the Bridger hangar in Bozeman, Montana, January 18, 2024 (Louise Johns)
What remains in several reports against Sheehy’s business is that the “false statements” were incorrectly labeled as “SDVOSB” (Service Disabled Veterans Owned) rather than “SDVOSB” as the employee intended. This was the result of selecting the “SDB” (Socially Disadvantaged Enterprises) box. business) box.
The Gallatin Commission responded to the claims, suggesting they were a “politically motivated investigation.”
“These concerns may stem from a misunderstanding of conduit private activity bonds, which are a common tool for capitalization in the government bond market.To be clear, Gallatin County It does not have any responsibilities related to business operations,” the county said in a written statement. statement.
But Cohodes told the Montana Free Press in August that Sheehy’s business “will go bankrupt.”
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Tester’s own campaign then released a campaign ad claiming that the company, whose state-owned shares are held by local residents, is “failing,” the Journal reported.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) (Samuel Colm) arrives for a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Homeland Security at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Tim Sheehy resigns as CEO of Bridger Aerospace. (Tim Sheehy, Senate Campaign Manager)
Sheehy’s campaign released a statement in response to the report, saying, “Even though he’s low in the rankings, Jon Tester is ahead of him.”
“We know Jon Tester is losing, and now the Wall Street Journal is pulling the curtain on Tester’s brazen political war against a Montana company. Jon Tester has spent his career as a politician… Desperate to continue, he is putting the lives of Montanans at risk in his attempt to bankrupt the company his opponent started even though Tim Sheehy is no longer CEO,” the campaign said in a statement. Ta.
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Bridger Chairman Jeffrey Keltersays told the Journal that Bridger is a “200-person Montana company with a mission to protect life and property, and its growth trajectory has been consistently impressive.” ” he said.
Aubrey Spady is a writer for Fox News Digital.
