From The Center Square
A watchdog group wants the Department of the Interior to investigate whether the National Wildlife Federation misused federal grant money tied to political spending in Montana’s 2024 U.S. Senate race.
The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) filed the complaint Thursday with the department’s inspector general.
The complaint says the Bureau of Land Management gave the National Wildlife Federation an $872,887.50 grant on Sept. 1, 2024. The money funded riverscape restoration work in Montana.
About a month later, the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund reported spending $299,985 to support Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s reelection campaign in Montana.
The spending included $274,665 for digital ads and $25,320 for direct mail.
The complaint says the National Wildlife Federation also gave $260,000 to its Action Fund during a similar time period.
The watchdog group says that raises questions about whether taxpayer money helped fund political activity.
The complaint does not claim it has direct proof that federal grant dollars paid for the campaign spending. Instead, the group says money is fungible and wants investigators to review the transactions.
“NWF may have engaged in a serious violation of law by potentially misusing taxpayer funds linked to a donation to their affiliated 501(c)(4) Action Fund and its subsequent independent expenditure supporting Senator Jon Tester’s re-election,” CASA Director James Fitzpatrick said.