MATTHEW BROWN and AMY BETH HANSON
Thu, June 16, 2022, 10:17 PM·4 min read
RED LODGE, Mont. (AP) — As punishing floods tore through Yellowstone National Park and neighboring Montana communities, the state's governor was nowhere to be seen.
In the immediate aftermath, the state issued a disaster declaration attributed to the Republican governor, but for some reason it carried the lieutenant governor’s signature.
It wasn’t until Wednesday — more than 48 hours after the flood hit the state — that Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office acknowledged he was out of the country, though it wouldn’t say exactly where he was, citing unspecified security concerns.
Gianforte finally returned on Thursday night from what his office said was a vacation with his wife in Italy. But he found himself facing a torrent of criticism for not hurrying home sooner and for not telling the public his whereabouts during the emergency.
“In a moment of unprecedented disaster and economic uncertainty, Gianforte purposefully kept Montanans in the dark about where he was and who was actually in charge,” said Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party.
Gianforte, 61, is a tech mogul elected governor two years ago. He made headlines when he body-slammed a reporter the day before winning a seat in Congress in a 2017 special election. He initially misled investigators about the attack but eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.
While Gianforte was away, Montana's lieutenant governor served as acting governor. And in Gianforte's defense, his office said he was briefed regularly about the flooding, which caused widespread damage to small communities in the southern part of the state and had threatened to cut off fresh water to Billings, the state’s largest city.
But Gianforte’s critics seized on his mysterious disappearance and started the mocking social media hashtag #WhereIsGreg. Montanans and others traded wisecracks about Gianforte and the Appalachian Trail — a reference to former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who disappeared in 2009 and had his staff tell reporters he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while he was actually having a tryst with his lover in Argentina.
Montana reporters started asking more questions after noticing Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras’ signature on the flood-disaster declaration.
“Truthfully, it speaks for itself. It just does,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said of the governor's AWOL status as he toured flood damage in Red Lodge on Friday. “When you’re in public service, there are things that take precedent, and this is pretty important.”
Gianforte finally toured the flood zone Friday but didn't address his absence. He instead encouraged visitors to still come to the Yellowstone region.
“Here’s a very simple message for people that have planned trips to Yellowstone Park: We’re open. You’ve got to come. There’s so much to do in Montana," he said. "The vitality of our communities depend on it, and your families need what we have in Montana."
The floods washed away roads, bridges and houses and closed all of Yellowstone, threatening some of the communities on the park's outskirts that depend heavily on tourists visiting one of America's most beloved natural attractions.
Yellowstone officials said they could reopen the southern end of the park as soon as next week, offering visitors a chance to see Old Faithful and other attractions. But the northern entrances in Montana, which lead to the wildlife-rich Lamar Valley and Tower Fall, could be closed all summer, if not longer.
Scott Miller, a commissioner in Carbon County, where flooding heavily damaged the town of Red Lodge and other areas, said Friday that he had been able to contact the governor by phone when he needed to and that the state did not neglect any duties.
“The fact that the governor has been on vacation — there’s been no hiccups,” Miller said. “That’s why you have people in your cabinet.”
In Red Lodge, Tester hesitated to criticize the governor, acknowledging he was in Washington this week working on a bill for veterans.
“Some could say, ‘Jon, why didn’t you come back Tuesday or Wednesday?’” Tester said. “These are hard situations. I don’t know what his circumstances were. ... I’ve got a decent working relationship with the governor and want to continue that.”
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Hanson reported from Helena, Montana. Associated Press journalists Brian Melley in Los Angeles, Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
Montana’s AWOL Guv Refuses to Say Where He Is as State Battles Once in 500-Year Floods
Josh Fiallo
Thu, June 16, 2022
William Campbell/Getty
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, whose tagline is “leading the Montana comeback,” may finally be coming back to Montana.
The Republican governor, elected in 2020, spent the past workweek galavanting in Tuscany, Italy, as his constituents battled some of the worst floods in the state’s history, reports 8KPAX. Now, after at least four days away on a “personal” trip, Gianforte’s office confirmed the governor is expected back in the capital city of Helena sometime Thursday night.
The damage may already be done for Gianforte, however.
Montanans were kept in the dark about his whereabouts for days, only alerted to his absence—not just from Montana, but the entire continent—when reporters noticed an executive order declaring a disaster was signed by Lieutenant Gov. Kristen Juras on Monday and not Gianforte himself. The governor was also absent from all official briefings about the floods.
Gianforte’s office later told the Helena Independent Record that the governor “verbally authorized” the disaster declaration and gave Juras authorization to act on his behalf.
Flooding in Yellowstone has destroyed roads and houses.
National Park Service
Meanwhile, devastating flood waters washed away dozens of bridges and miles of roads in Yellowstone National Park, which is partially in Montana, and forced 10,000 visitors out from the indefinitely closed park on Monday.
Those floods worked their way downstream and continue to ravage the lives of Montanans, 87 of whom were rescued from flood waters by the National Guard.
The floods have also wreaked havoc away from the riverfront. High waters caused the water treatment plant servicing Billings, the state’s most populous city, to close earlier this week, forcing officials to beg residents to conserve water. After being down to just a day’s supply by Thursday morning, the plant was able to restart. But the threat of flooding elsewhere remains.
“None of us planned a 500-year flood event on the Yellowstone when we designed these facilities,” Debi Meling, Billings’ public works director, told the Associated Press.
Gianforte’s office admitted Wednesday the state’s leader was on a “personal trip” out of the country, but withheld his exact location for “security reasons.”
Others in the state heard similar rumors about Gianforte’s whereabouts. Former Democrat Representative Reilly Neill, who ran for governor in 2020, said Thursday she heard from three people that Gianforte was vacationing in Italy but the trio wished to remain anonymous.
Neill declined a phone interview with The Daily Beast on Thursday, saying she would soon lose cell service as she drove to the areas surrounding Yellowstone. With Gianforte’s return apparently imminent, perhaps he will be doing the same sometime soon.
Josh Fiallo
Thu, June 16, 2022
William Campbell/Getty
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, whose tagline is “leading the Montana comeback,” may finally be coming back to Montana.
The Republican governor, elected in 2020, spent the past workweek galavanting in Tuscany, Italy, as his constituents battled some of the worst floods in the state’s history, reports 8KPAX. Now, after at least four days away on a “personal” trip, Gianforte’s office confirmed the governor is expected back in the capital city of Helena sometime Thursday night.
The damage may already be done for Gianforte, however.
Montanans were kept in the dark about his whereabouts for days, only alerted to his absence—not just from Montana, but the entire continent—when reporters noticed an executive order declaring a disaster was signed by Lieutenant Gov. Kristen Juras on Monday and not Gianforte himself. The governor was also absent from all official briefings about the floods.
Gianforte’s office later told the Helena Independent Record that the governor “verbally authorized” the disaster declaration and gave Juras authorization to act on his behalf.
Flooding in Yellowstone has destroyed roads and houses.
National Park Service
Meanwhile, devastating flood waters washed away dozens of bridges and miles of roads in Yellowstone National Park, which is partially in Montana, and forced 10,000 visitors out from the indefinitely closed park on Monday.
Those floods worked their way downstream and continue to ravage the lives of Montanans, 87 of whom were rescued from flood waters by the National Guard.
The floods have also wreaked havoc away from the riverfront. High waters caused the water treatment plant servicing Billings, the state’s most populous city, to close earlier this week, forcing officials to beg residents to conserve water. After being down to just a day’s supply by Thursday morning, the plant was able to restart. But the threat of flooding elsewhere remains.
“None of us planned a 500-year flood event on the Yellowstone when we designed these facilities,” Debi Meling, Billings’ public works director, told the Associated Press.
Gianforte’s office admitted Wednesday the state’s leader was on a “personal trip” out of the country, but withheld his exact location for “security reasons.”
This silence from Gianforte has led critics to paint him as the new “Cancún Cruz,” a reference to Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s jaunt to Mexico last year as his home state froze over amid deadly power outages and freezing temperatures.
“Greg Gianforte pulled a Ted Cruz and is vacationing out of the country while Montana blunders its response to massive flooding,” tweeted Raw Story reporter Bob Bringham of Bozeman, Montana.
But comparing Cruz to Gianforte is not apples-to-apples. For one, Gianforte has provided no explanation for his stay in Europe, while Cruz belatedly attempted to paint his untimely escape as an act of fatherhood, accompanying his daughter to Mexico before returning the next day. Cruz also booked his flights as Texas was in crisis, while Gianforte’s get-a-way—his second in two weeks—was planned in advance, his office said.
This isn’t the first time Gianforte has made national headlines for the wrong reasons. He once body slammed a reporter on the campaign trail for a seat in Congress in 2017. Three years later, as he ran for governor, his political director and spokesman reportedly bashed a parked car next to his pickup truck, slamming his truck’s door into the other vehicle.
Gianforte’s office did not respond to multiple calls, emails and direct messages from The Daily Beast on Thursday about when his Italian holiday began and what took him so long to get home.
Reporter Maritsa Georgiou, of Newsy, says she obtained a time stamped photo that shows the governor in Italian wine country. The photo itself has not been released by Georgiou, however.
“Greg Gianforte pulled a Ted Cruz and is vacationing out of the country while Montana blunders its response to massive flooding,” tweeted Raw Story reporter Bob Bringham of Bozeman, Montana.
But comparing Cruz to Gianforte is not apples-to-apples. For one, Gianforte has provided no explanation for his stay in Europe, while Cruz belatedly attempted to paint his untimely escape as an act of fatherhood, accompanying his daughter to Mexico before returning the next day. Cruz also booked his flights as Texas was in crisis, while Gianforte’s get-a-way—his second in two weeks—was planned in advance, his office said.
This isn’t the first time Gianforte has made national headlines for the wrong reasons. He once body slammed a reporter on the campaign trail for a seat in Congress in 2017. Three years later, as he ran for governor, his political director and spokesman reportedly bashed a parked car next to his pickup truck, slamming his truck’s door into the other vehicle.
Gianforte’s office did not respond to multiple calls, emails and direct messages from The Daily Beast on Thursday about when his Italian holiday began and what took him so long to get home.
Reporter Maritsa Georgiou, of Newsy, says she obtained a time stamped photo that shows the governor in Italian wine country. The photo itself has not been released by Georgiou, however.
Others in the state heard similar rumors about Gianforte’s whereabouts. Former Democrat Representative Reilly Neill, who ran for governor in 2020, said Thursday she heard from three people that Gianforte was vacationing in Italy but the trio wished to remain anonymous.
Neill declined a phone interview with The Daily Beast on Thursday, saying she would soon lose cell service as she drove to the areas surrounding Yellowstone. With Gianforte’s return apparently imminent, perhaps he will be doing the same sometime soon.
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