Rolan Roberts II

http://www.ktvh.com/2016/01/illegal-coordination-found-in-high-profile-2012-gop-primary-race

`Illegal coordination’ found in high-profile 2012 GOP primary race

January 15, 2016, 7 months ago

(MTN News-HELENA)A half-dozen conservative groups and a little-known candidate broke campaign laws when they banded together to attempt to defeat state Sen. Bruce Tutvedt in a high-profile 2012 Republican primary race, the state commissioner of political practices said Friday.

Commissioner Jonathan Motl, in a 30-page decision, said the groups illegally coordinated with Roland Roberts II, a self-described “internationally renowned best-selling author” who narrowly lost his primary challenge to Tutvedt.

In fact, Roberts even self-published a book on his short-lived campaign, titled “90 Day Race: The Secret to Massive Results.”

The amount of coordinated money, some of which was illegal corporate donations to Rollan’s campaign, “is substantial,” Motl wrote, and will be detailed later.

Motl said he expects to take the case before a judge, to seek a civil fine or other penalty.

Rollan, who has a Florida-based business, could not immediately be reached for comment. An attorney representing the groups also could not be reached.

Friday’s decision is the latest of a series of rulings by Motl on the 2010 and 2012 activities of several conservative groups that aided candidates in contested Republican legislative primaries.

The groups, which included American Tradition Partnership, Montana Citizens for Right to Work, Taxpayers for Liberty, the National Association for Gun Rights and the National Pro-Life Alliance, often produced mailers and other material that attacked one candidate as being too liberal or not sufficiently conservative.

Motl has found that the groups often did not properly report their spending, or that they illegally coordinated with various candidates. The illegal coordination usually translates into an unreported contribution to the candidate supported by the groups, Motl has said.

Under Montana law, independent political groups can spend money to influence an election, but are required to report their spending and cannot coordinate with a candidate.

Roberts ran in the 2012 Republican primary against Tutvedt, a Kalispell farmer. In Roberts’ book, he said he had moved to the Flathead Valley in 2010 and called his challenge a “David vs. Goliath” race, with Roberts cast as David.

Roberts also wrote that he “consulted with national advisors who had devoted their lives to state and national politics,” and described a broad-based campaign that used web ads, print ads, mailings, phone calls, surveys and a “media kit.”

Tutvedt beat Roberts by only 66 votes, with 45 percent of the vote versus Roberts’ 43.6 percent. A third candidate had 11.4 percent. Tutvedt went on to easily win re-election in the general election.

Tutvedt filed a complaint in December 2012, alleging campaign violations by Roberts and various groups that aided his campaign.

Motl found that while Roberts did report $40,000 in campaign spending, he also coordinated with National Right to Work, an anti-labor group, and some of its affiliates and accepted “in-kind” services from these organizations without properly reporting their value.

The services from these groups also amount to campaign contributions from corporations – which is illegal for a Montana candidate to accept, Motl said.

“Candidate Roberts did not report or disclose in-kind contributions from any of the corporate group entities that the commissioner has determined provided attack slicks, attack letters, polling, voter ID, copy-writing, graphics or other services to his campaign,” the commissioner wrote.

Roberts calls himself a best-selling author, speaker, CEO and TV personality. He says he has a doctorate in international business and entrepreneurship.

Some of his books listed for sale on Amazon.com include “Born to be Rich” and “Born to Dream