Brad Molnar's ugly little mess

by: Jay Stevens

Fri Sep 19, 2008 at 20:40:24 PM MST

Here's the official complaint (pdf) lodged by Art Noonan, which alleges that Brad Molnar used $1,450 of funds solicited from private corporations regulated by the PSC to produce brochures promoting a "brownout" event, but which is actually a thinly veiled piece of campaign literature.

The damning details: Molnar received $1,000 from NorthWestern Energy, $1,000 from PPL, and $450 from WalMart and deposited into a personal checking account. The brochure (found in the complaint) features his picture prominently displayed, and attached to the brochures is a sticker that reads, "Brad Molnar, Your Conservation Candidate for Public Service Commission." Molnar continues to distribute the literature even as the brownout is over; there's a convenient line on the brochure that reads, "The brownout may be over. But the tips are still good!"

The controversy arose earlier this spring as Molnar continued distributing the brownout fliers as part of his campaign literature. It has been six months since brownout participants turned their lights back on. Officials from SD2 and the chamber said they don't want to give people the impression that they're endorsing Molnar. Neither the district nor the chamber makes political endorsements.

"We sent an e-mail to Mr. Molnar to let him know that by no means should our support of the brownout campaign that was six months ago be considered an endorsement," said John Brewer, the Billings Chamber president and chief executive.

In March, no doubt worried about the questionable donation to Molnar's private account, NorthWestern Energy asked for its money back. The internal correspondence (pdf) is tinged with anxiety. Here's an example from after NorthWestern's Bill Thomas asked Molnar for the donations to be returned, and Molnar suggested that NWE could pay the Laurel CoC for the printing costs of his brochures:

Joe S and Thomas agreed to seek an opinion of Thomas Knapp, NWE General Counsel. They called Knapp.

Tom Knapp advised that any contribution to the Laurel Chamber of Commerce should be done through the existing mechanism of using NorthWestern Community Relationsand the local community donations committee. Knapp also advised Thomas to prepare a paper trail of the phone conversations, and to prepare a letter that acknowleges receipt of the returned money when it is received from Brad Molnar.

My favorite email is from John Fiztpatrick, whose May 12 panic is beautifully articulated in two lines:

Did NWE give Molnar any money for the brown out exercise?

This is important! I need an answer ASAP!

Molnar's self-defense makes his case seem all the more damning. In this September 18 letter to the Billings Gazette, Molnar either plays coy with the meaning of "report" in the context of campaign donations, or he's completely ignorant about campaign law:

The Tussing campaign also accused me of "unreported corporate gifts of $1,000, $1,000 and $450." If "unreported," how do they know the amounts and who gave them? Scully and Mulder can go back into retirement. The mystery is solved. I accepted the two $1,000 contributions (NWE and PPL) in front of two TV cameras and thanked all three (includes Wal-Mart) on the brownout brochure and thanked them again in my "thank you" article in the Billings Out Post. How could they have been more reported?

Cute.

What was Molnar doing soliciting funds from companies he regulates as a member of the PSC? What  is PPL and NWE doing giving money towards a PSC member's personal bank account? What genius green lighted that idea? Even if Molnar's scheme was innocently conceived, it sure looks dirty as h*ll.

Does Molnar understand the boundaries between his public role and his political activities?

Doesn't look that way from here.