Schweitzer's Lie Exposed

There’s been a lot of discussion in the past several weeks about Representative John Sinrud and the recent Cease and Desist Order issued by the Montana Board of Architects against his Bozeman firm.  First, it’s important that we remember the presumption of innocence, and as facts are still coming to light in this case, it seems premature to assume that Representative Sinrud has broken the law, and we’ll continue to take Representative Sinrud at his word.

One person we know we can’t take at his word is Governor Brian Schweitzer, especially since he’s already openly lied on this story.  Just look at these two Schweitzer quotes:

From July 27th, 2006:
“Schweitzer questioned what “a draftsman” like Sinrud would know about it.
From “Kitzenberg Tapped For Unadvertised Post” (Chuck Johnson) Helena IR
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/07/27/montana/a01072706_05.txt

Apparently in July of 2006, Schweitzer knew exactly what Sinrud did for a living.  However, when Schweitzer was asked if he had any involvement in the Board of Architects decision, he had a different story:

From December 4th, 2007:
“It would be delusional,” Schweitzer said. “I didn’t even know what he did for a living.”
From “Board of Architects Shuts Down Sinrud” (Chuck Johnson) Helena IR
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/12/04/montana/a06120407_01.txt

Interesting that the Governor knows what Sinrud does for a living for some news articles, but not for others…

For anyone who’s closely followed the actions of this Governor, this all smells a little fishy, even before you see his flat out lie in black and white print.  When you realize that several of the members of the Board of Architects were appointed by Governor Schweitzer, things look a little more murky.  However, political insiders aren’t surprised by any of this.  For the past few years there have been plenty of rumors whispered in the halls of the capitol about the Governor exerting influence over the jobs of his political opponents, though no one has been willing to go “on the record” about it, likely fearing further retribution.

It’s not hard to imagine a similar scenario impacting the case with Rep. Sinrud.  Most Montanans know Sinrud as a vocal critic of the Governor, and many Montanans have heard of or witnessed the Governor when he’s not pleased.  Even Democrat State Senator Jesse Laslovich referred to Schweitzer as a bully, which begs the question, just how far will Schweitzer go?  At this point there has been no evidence to show that the Governor exerted any influence in this case (though it’s clear at the very least that he lied).  Some folks do find it curious that this story emerges to discredit a critic of Schweitzer and his bloated budgets at a time when Schweitzer faces increased scrutiny for the record spending increases during his administration. 

Comments

[Nick]

John is a very impressive person and I have the highest reguard for him. He has run his business with in the rule of law and should not have been shut down. Other firms in the Bozeman area are doing the same type of work that he does and have had no action from the State Architecture board. It seems a bit fishy that he is the only one to have issues with the board.

[Clay]

If he is designing, he needs a license, regardless if other people are doing it unlicensed. You can't break the law because other people do. It may very well be a witch hunt. As a paralegal I can't even help someone fill out a form, not even answer a simple question such as "Do I put my name here?" If I answer, I am guilty of practising law without a license.