Senate President Convicted on No-Bid Contracts | Oakland News

Oakland News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 23, 2026 · 1m

Former Montana Senate President Jason Ellsworth just got convicted on misdemeanor charges for illegally awarding $170,000 in no-bid contracts to a business partner — a move prosecutors say he knowingly bypassed by skipping proper approval steps while serving as chairman of the Legislative Audit Committee. The contracts, for a company he’d helped set up just weeks prior, were for monitoring state agencies — ironic given his oversight role. Despite his defense arguing the deals were later legitimized and necessary, the jury found him guilty. He’s now banned for life from Senate floor access and…