Audio catches Montana Senate candidate commenting on ‘drunk Indians’

Darrell Ehrlick, The Daily Montanan

SHELBY, Montana (Daily Montanan) — U.S. Senate campaigner Tim Sheehy is facing disapproval aft 2 recordings from November surfaced successful which he appears to person characterized nan Crow group arsenic drunk successful nan greeting and accused them of throwing brew cans astatine him successful a parade.

Sheehy is moving arsenic nan hand-picked Republican looking to unseat incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat and Montana’s lone Democratic leader successful elected national office.

The erstwhile U.S. Navy SEAL and Bozeman businessman Sheehy made nan comments successful November, and those were reported first by Char-Koosta News, nan charismatic publication of nan Flathead Indian Reservation.

However, Sheehy appears to person doubled down connected nan statements arsenic nan first signaling was from a Nov. 6, 2023 arena successful Shelby. Four days later, Sheehy appears to person made akin remarks astatine an arena successful Hamilton. The recordings look connected nan website of Char-Koosta News.

The Daily Montanan reached retired to Sheehy’s run for remark erstwhile news first collapsed connected Sunday, but arsenic of Tuesday, had received nary remark aliases explanation.

The audio from nan Shelby arena has Sheehy talking astir ranching connected Crow reservation.

“My ranching partner and really bully friend, Turk Stovall, he’s a Crow Indian and we ranch together connected nan Crow Reservation. So I’m beautiful progressive down there, going to nan Crow Reservation and their yearly Crow parade this year. I statement and marque pinch them each year. So, it’s a awesome measurement to enslaved pinch each nan Indians being retired location while they’re drunk astatine 8 a.m., and you’re roping together. Every 1 that you miss, you get a Coors Light connected nan broadside of your head.”

Sheehy past appears to make akin comments astatine nan arena successful Hamilton:

“I strapped connected a Sheehy motion to a equine and rode done nan Crow Parade and if you cognize a reliable crowd, that’s (it). They fto you cognize if they for illustration you aliases not. There’s Coors Light cans flying by your caput arsenic you’re riding by. You cognize they respect that. You spell wherever nan action is and they say, ‘You know, nan guy’s not that bad. He rode nan equine done nan parade. That’s cool.’”

Calls to nan Crow Tribal Executive Chairman went unreturned connected Tuesday, and by mid-morning, nan voicemail container was full.