Austin Knudsen, Attorney General for Montana, made a critical mistake when he entered office.
He assumed he was elected as the Attorney Generalissimo of our state. He has made numerous political missteps according to the general population, but he's squeaky clean according to Gov. Gianforte and the far-right Republican-controlled State Legislature.
Knudsen's orders to "march on" Helena's St. Peter's hospital in order to protect a "patient who is on the Republican A-List" was bad enough, but his latest gestapo-style move on a small and innocent restaurant in Great Falls is nauseating. Read on.
A noisy, rude, and obnoxious customer came into a restaurant in the Electric City that has signage clearly stating everyone must wear a mask. This customer refused. When he was asked to put one on or leave, he knocked over glasses on the table, tried to knock over the table and opened his shirt, showing a gun in a holster, and threatening the owner of the restaurant.
Police were called and the incident was resolved by taking the miscreant into custody. Normal charges were made and the entire thing was assumed to be handled.
However, enter Generalissimo Knudsen, who moved the judge aside and took charge of the case, himself. Knudsen's handling consisted of a "$50 fine and everybody move along - nothing more to see here, folks." There is a pattern beginning with this administration and it stinks to high heaven. These rebellious, right-wing nuts are getting away with disrespecting our laws and they're getting help from right-wing "leaders" of our state.
We don't know if the culprit was another "friend of the Montana Republicans," like the St. Peter's case, but it sure smells like dead fish to me.
Is this how Gov. Gianforte, AG Knudsen, and other Montana Republicans-in-charge are going to overturn our rule of law? Worse, is this what we have to look forward to for the next three-plus years? Montanans need to step up and speak up...now!
This ain't right, folks!
Opinion by John Watson
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