Washington, DC — Yesterday, it was reported that “The professional organization that investigates claims of attorney misconduct in Montana filed a complaint against Attorney General Austin Knudsen on Tuesday.”

The Montana Free Press states, “The complaint alleges communications from Austin Knudsen’s office during separation-of-powers fight ‘routinely and frequently undermined public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of our system of justice.’”

“Such a complaint could, in the most extreme outcome, lead to its target’s disbarment,” the article states.

Statement from Emily Trifone, Deputy Communications Director, Democratic Attorneys General Association:

“Austin Knudsen has violated the trust Montana taxpayers placed in him and is unfit to be Montana’s Attorney General. The time of playing politics with this office needs to end. This seat is at play next year and we’re coming to flip it.”

“The complaint alleges 41 violations of the Montana Rules of Professional Conduct stemming from 2021 litigation about the Legislature’s ability to subpoena judicial documents that marked a high point in that conflict.”

“And while some of the counts pertain specifically to actions taken by attorneys serving under Knudsen, the complaint repeatedly highlights a rule of professional conduct stating that a lawyer with complete managerial authority over their firm — in this case, Knudsen’s managerial authority over the state Department of Justice — ‘shall be responsible for another lawyer in the firm’s violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct.’”

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