Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Below, verbatim, is Derek Skees’ detailed account of events leading up to his announcement that he had received the endorsements of Conrad Burns and Bill Gallagher.
In his chronology, Skees says:
Your story posited a question as to who was untruthful regarding the Burns endorsement. I assert that I have not lied, in this or in anything else.
Actually, my post rhetorically asked whether Skees lied, and concluded that he had not.
Here’s what I wrote yesterday:
The big questions are whether Skees lied about having endorsements from Burns and Gallagher, was mistaken about having them, was sandbagged after Johnson’s campaign succeeded in wresting the endorsements from Skees, or was endorsed by a former Senator who also endorsed the other guy and wasn’t aware of doing so.
I can’t believe Skees lied. He might have overreached, but no candidate with any political smarts, and Skees has plenty of political smarts, would lie about endorsements months before the election. That kind of lie would be more than embarrassing; it would be political suicide. That’s why I take press releases on endorsements at face value.
I also should have raised the possibility that Johnson lied about Burns’ endorsement. But I don’t have any reason to believe he did. Politicians can be mistaken about endorsements, and they can be sandbagged by endorsers, but the downside of lying about endorsements — the lies are always exposed, and the liars are always punished — is so great that however untruthful politicians are on other matters, if they are untruthful, they don’t lie about endorsements.
So I believe both Johnson and Skees are telling the truth when they say they were endorsed by Burns. That leaves only two possibilities:
Republican voters will have to sort this out themselves, and I wish them luck. They’ll need it.
I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this. In the meantime, Here’s Skees’ response:
Hello James,
I can abide many derisions, names and personal attacks, yet my honor is sacred to me as my faith holds lying in very poor regard. I appreciate your efforts to get to the bottom of this, and wish to add the following dates to your chronology for proof of my innocence. I am sorry for the length, but it covers the previous 10 months, and the source is my journal.
June 18, 2013 — Bill Gallagher announces that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
July 2013 — The beginning of private discussions in the Flathead regarding these developments including Bill in many people’s prayer lists, while some quietly urge me to consider the race.
August 2013 — I contact Bill and tell him that I am concerned that there are possible rumors beginning to circulate regarding my possible candidacy for the PSC District 5 seat. I assure him that I support him always, and will not seek the PSC seat while there is any chance he can recover, and/or he remains in the race. I tell him I want to make sure he hears that from me. This is the beginning of numerous conversations in the months to follow.
October 6, 2013 — The Missoulian reports that Brad Johnson is interested in the US House race.
December 2013 — A week or two before Christmas, Bill and I talk and he relates that he decided he will not seek re-election, and will focus on his family and beating the cancer. He tells me at this time that in light of our history (my legislative tenure and his help with key bills that I carried in 2011) and the previous 5 months of our dialogue, that he will endorse me for the District 5 seat. In his words, I am the best candidate in part because I sought to follow his lead and counsel, whereas others have not bothered to ask him. It is at this point I begin to assemble my endorsement list, and included Bill in the developing Montana Skees Team campaign committee for the PSC race.
December 31, 2013 — Bill announces in the Daily Interlake (out of respect to his supporters in the Flathead) that he will not seek re-election. This timing was our plan, and I have my press release set for the following week so as to not crowd the somber news from the respect it deserves.
January 3, 2014 — My announcement in the Flathead for my candidacy for the PSC race is released. This same week Brad Johnson is just starting to broadcast that he may run for the PSC again.
January 9, 2014 — I file as a candidate for the PSC district 5 in Helena, at the First day of filing event for the GOP at the capital.
January 27 2014 — Another FCRCC Lincoln/Reagan Dinner Committee planning session in which we agree upon the rule that only those folks that have filed with the Sec State will be allowed to talk at the Flathead event. I am the chair of the subcommittee on candidates and with others on my team; we begin to contact all the state wide candidates by phone and email regarding their involvement, and the rules. I include Brad in this outreach, as the rumor of his candidacy has reached the Flathead.
January 30, 2014 — Brad Johnson declares publically he will be running for the PSC, district 5.
February 10, 2014 — I contact Brad Johnson by phone again, as he has said he would attend the dinner as a PSC candidate yet as of that date he is not filed with the Sec State and my call is in order to remind him of the rule. He is very upset regarding the committees previous decision, feeling strong armed. I relate to him the committee is only interested in granting time to candidates that are genuinely in a race, not intending, and that every candidate was informed. I tell him he has until Wednesday by 9:00am to let them know, as the programs are being printed.
February 12, 2014 — Brad contacts me in the early morning to tell me that he has filed with the Sec State and that the info may not post that day, but to take him at his word and please include him in the program. I contact the president of the Flathead Republican Women (the person in charge of the printing of the programs) by phone message and email relating that Brad has met the committee’s requirements, and to please make sure he makes it into the program.
February 15, 2014 — The FCRCC Lincoln/Reagan Dinner, where Brad and I are both present and allowed a 3 minute speech each. We are all too busy with the event to “fact check” Brad (and any other candidate), and take him at his word.
February 19, 2014 — The FCRCC Lincoln/Reagan Dinner Committee meets for lunch to engage in a post event evaluation and celebration of our success. The fact that Brad did not live up to his word briefly discussed, as he is not filed by that date even. I am at a loss for words to defend him.
February 25, 2014 — I call Senator Conrad Burns, after advice from my campaign committee, to seek his endorsement. He remembers me from our previous meetings, the most recent being the Governor Candidate Rick Hill’s “Barn burning” final tour of communities in pre election November 2012. He is the last prospect on my early press release, of which I read to him and he approves of the folks on the list and says that he “would be proud to join them.” He then grants permission to my request to place it in print that week. I thank him, and did not seek a quote as there is just barely room for the names to fit on one page.
February 27, 2014 — I send my early endorsement press release to my email list, and later post it to my Face Book page. This is my plan, as I think it would be a great discussion topic during the GOP Winter Kick off that weekend. Please remember that at this point I was still alone in the official race, and honestly hoped the “shock and awe” of the support in a primary race of almost the entire Leadership in the GOP Caucus would convince anyone to not join the race.
February 28, 2014 — The MT Tea Party Coalition Annual Meeting begins at Jorgensen’s in Helena. I am honored to be the first speaker, and spend the majority of the day there. Bill Gallagher is also on the agenda and gives a great speech, in which he concludes with a (humbling for me) declaration of his support for my candidacy to a room of over 50 people (including a few MT Senators and House Legislators). Feel free to contact any of the good folks over there who attended for verification: http://www.montanateapartycoalition.com/
February 28 & March 1, 2014 — The MTGOP Winter Kick off in Helena. It is just as I had hoped in that many have seen the endorsement list, have heard Bills speech and everyone was very congratulatory. I am honored to receive such an outpouring of support, and I thank all who allowed me permission to use their names in attendance. Brad is there, and is visibly perturbed and will not acknowledge my presence. Never does the questioning of Senator Burns’s endorsement of me surface from anyone, nor does Brad approach me to question the validity of my claim. I can only assume he contacts Senator Burns after the event for an endorsement, or else is holding his cards close and plans a different release of a previously attained endorsement (the expected outcome of this last possibility is disturbing, as this path could only lead to Brad accusing me of falsehood and Senator Burns getting caught in the crossfire).
March 4, 2014 — The date Brad Johnson actually files his MT Secretary of State paperwork for the District 5 PSC race, and his press release.
March 5, 2014 — I receive your (James) email, and send my reply regarding these events.
March 6, 2014 — Flathead Memo piece concerning the Burns endorsement, with my component is published.
When the facts of this timeline are examined (feel free to verify with your sources, or ask me for names), it becomes obvious that the lies alluded to were not mine. Your story posited a question as to who was untruthful regarding the Burns endorsement. I assert that I have not lied, in this or in anything else. There are three independently verifiable falsehoods in this timeline. Two by Brad; the timely filing and reporting of his MT Sec State paper work to the Flathead Republicans to qualify him to speak at the L/R and his assertion of Gallagher neutrality referenced in your story, and finally in your assertion in the same story that I do not have the Gallagher endorsement.
I have dealt with the awful disease of alcoholism with members of my extended family, and the first casualty in that conflict is always the truth and where, sadly it is often the last affliction to heal. I have been praying for Brad and his progress since his first series of speeches during his Sec State campaign in 2012, in which he identified himself as a recovering alcoholic. I am proud of his reputed success to date, and pray that he continues to win in that struggle.
I leave it to you and your readers to piece together the truthfulness of the candidates here.
Lastly, I never wanted to cause harm one of our MTGOP Icons, and in light of the above time line I never did. The question arose when the Johnson campaign asserted they had the endorsement days after my release and after a major Republican event where many had openly discussed my receipt of it in front of Brad Johnson.
The reputation of the good Senator is more important to me than the endorsement list of my campaign, so I do not hold him to his comments and will not use his name in any of my future publications in the hope he will not suffer anything more for my having asked for it. Thank you Conrad and as always, we will continue to include you in our prayers for healing.
To your final point, when you are a man of your word, then a man’s word is good enough, and the thought of writing it down for verification never occurs to you when you are dealing with honorable men….