Gotcha debate attack backfires as GOP Senate candidate gets entangled in own accusation

Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy enjoyed steakhouse dinners while lobbying for government contracts for his aerial firefighting company, turning a gotcha line used in a debate last week back on himself.

The former U.S. Navy Seal took a shot at Sen Jon Tester (D-MT) during their debate for "eating lobbyist steak" while the GOP candidate fought in Afghanistan, but the Associated Press found emails showing Sheehy had himself developed a taste for red meat and lobbying while working to expand his company.

“I hope you enjoyed the steakhouse,” Sheehy wrote to state budget director Ryan Osmundson after a November 2021 meeting in Martinsdale, Montana.

Sheehy was pitching his company’s aircraft as “ideal” for a dedicated, Montana-based fleet of planes to fight fires, and there's no indication his lobbying of state officials involved any wrongdoing by him or his company, the AP reported.

“Admittedly, Bridger stands to benefit from the creation of a Montana Fire Force,” Sheehy wrote in an email to Amanda Kaster, director of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Bridger Aerospace secured contracts in at least nine states, along with the federal government and several Canadian provinces, but the candidate's company, held up by his campaign as “a Montana success story” has suffered persistent losses, declining stock value and allegations of mismanagement.

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“Tim is proud of his work to expand Montana’s ability to fight wildfires, and he hears those efforts praised on the campaign trail from grateful Montanans who have had their homes and property saved from the devastation of wildfires by heroic aerial firefighters,” Sheehy's campaign said in a statement.

Tester, who ranks No. 1 among U.S. lawmakers in lobbyist contributions, brought up Sheey's federal lobbying during their Sept. 30 debate after the Republican brought up "lobbyist steak."

“Tim Sheehy set up his own lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.," Tester said. "Why? So he could try to influence elected officials, try to take them out and feed them those steaks he’s talking about."