Knudsen says he got primary opponent to run so he could raise more money

At a Saturday night campaign event billed as a “conservative cookout,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen told a crowd that he had put a friend and fellow Republican up to running against him in his bid for re-election in order to raise more money and because he believes state law is “ridiculous,” according to a recording that captured part of his remarks and was obtained by the Daily Montanan.

Knudsen was speaking to a gathering of Republican candidates in Dillon that was put on by Marsha Kery, a citizen of Beaverhead County, according to a local advertisement. Others who were invited to the event included Shannon Maness, a Dillon-area House candidate and Sen. Theresa Manzella, from Hamilton.

Knudsen told the crowd: