Austin Knudsen

AUSTIN KNUDSEN

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Roosevelt County Attorney CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: www.austinformontana.com

Arrow-Circle-Right Briefly introduce yourself. I am a 5th generation Montanan from Bainville/Culbertson. I grew up on the family farm and ranch, raising spring wheat, baling hay, and ranching angus cattle. Graduated Culbertson High School, undergraduate degrees from Montana State- Bozeman (where I met my wife Christie), law degree from UM Law Missoula. After law school, we moved home to the family farm (where we still live) and I practiced law in Plentywood for 5 years with a small law firm. In 2013, I started my own solo law practice in Culbertson. For my decade in private law practice, I represented farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and neighbors, in myriad legal areas. In 2011, I was elected to the MT House of Representatives. In 2015, I was elected the Speaker of the House, and in 2017 I was re-elected Speaker of the House. In 2018, I was elected Roosevelt County Attorney. I’ve been Roosevelt County’s full-time criminal prosecutor since then, where I have been aggressively prosecuting drug, violent, and sexual crimes.

Arrow-Circle-Right Attorneys General are in the

business of interpreting and enforcing the law. If elected, would you see your role as AG as that of an activist, with freedom to interpret the law to new situations, events, and gubernatorial administrations, or as that of a constructionist, interpreting the law strictly through the lens of original

intent? I am an constructionist/ originalist, and this is the lens through which I will interpret and enforce laws as Montana Attorney General.

Arrow-Circle-Right The Governor and the AG have

distinct roles when representing national issues of importance to Montana. How do you plan to represent the state in light of

the roles of the two offices? The Attorney General’s job is to enforce the laws passed by the Legislature, and to protect the individual rights of all Montanans. If a federal issue presents itself that I believe is contrary to the laws of Montana or threatens the individual rights of Montanans, I will not hesitate to take appropriate action, at whatever level.

Arrow-Circle-Right The Attorney General is

essentially the managing partner of a public law firm, with hundreds of employees and a budget to match. This does not include the cost of outside lawyers to handle contract work for the state. How will you be a good steward of

Montana taxpayer dollars? I am a fiscal conservative and have the record to prove it. The overall MT Department of Justice budget has ballooned in the last 8 years, from $86 million in 2012, to nearly $130 million today. I have analyzed this budget, and much of this increase has gone to more staff and pay raises, all in Helena. Centralization of services in Helena and increased Helena bureaucracy has NOT had any measurable benefit. Overall violent crime in Montana is up 36% since 2013. Rapes are up 32%. Aggravated assaults are up 30%. Murders from 2013 to 2017 spiked 68%. Mexican cartel meth is causing this spike, and more spending in Helena has done NOTHING to combat it. I will work with the Legislature to reduce the DOJ budget where appropriate, such as exorbitant rates to a few contract attorneys. I want to pass those savings back to local law enforcement (sheriffs, county attorneys), who are operating on small budgets and can’t afford the staff and tools they need to fight cartel meth on the front lines. stop