Rep. Rosendale Quitting Politics Over Rumors, Death Threat
Allegations about Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) have prompted him to make the decision to not seek re-election this year. The lawmaker revealed his decision in a post to X on Friday, stating that unproven allegations made about him have taken a toll on him and his family.
Rosendale’s remarks appeared to be referring to former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s (D-ND) claims last month that rumors were going around about Rosendale impregnating a 20-year-old staffer.
Rosendale’s office has denied Heitmark’s claims, denouncing them as “100% false and defamatory.” A spokesperson for the Republican Congressman also said that Heitkamp “will be hearing from our lawyers soon.”
While announcing his decision to quit Congress when his term runs out, the lawmaker spoke about his attempt to launch a bid for a seat in the Senate. He, however, decided against his bid only six days after announcing his bid, chalking it up to former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of his opponent on the primary level.
“At the onset of this election season, at the urging of many, I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Senate. It became very obvious soon after that announcement that the national support and resources necessary to win that seat were not going to be available to me. I withdrew as soon as possible so as not to jeopardize the opportunity for Republicans to secure that seat and, with it, the majority in the U.S. Senate, which is critical for our country,” Rosendale said.
He went further, saying, “Upon withdrawing from that race, and again at the urging of many, including several of the current candidates, I filed to run for reelection to my current seat. Since that announcement, I have been forced to have law enforcement visit my children because of a death threat against me and false and defamatory rumors against me and my family. This has taken a serious toll on me, and my family. Additionally, it has caused a serious disruption to the election of the next representative for MT-02.”
According to Rosendale, the attacks he spoke about have made it “impossible” to focus on his work to serve the country.
“It has been my honor to serve you and may God bless each and every one of you,” he said, ending his announcement.
— Matt Rosendale (@MattForMontana) March 8, 2024
