With the headline, "If no law exists, no illegality exists," The Daily Inter Lake slammed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Bullock and his effort to fight a $500,000 contribution from The Montana GOP to Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill.  The contribution came in the days following a ruling from a federal judge who declared the campaign contribution limits unconstitutional.  

Here's an excerpt from The Daily Inter Lake editorial:     

Upon learning of the contribution on Oct. 17, however, Bullock’s campaign went ballistic, claiming that it was a “criminal violation of Montana law.”

That’s right, Montana’s top law enforcement officer, Bullock, contended it was a criminal violation. So where’s the attorney general’s prosecution of this supposed crime? It isn’t going to happen, because if a judge throws out a law, you have no obligation to follow it any longer.

Maybe Attorney General Bullock just regrets that his own political agenda made it impossible for him to accept big donations while they were legal, too. But that’s no reason to smear his opponent, and we encourage the attorney general to stop using incendiary language that has no basis in fact.

Lee Newspaper's Chuck Johnson broke the story Wednesday night that a state district judge ordered Hill to temporarily cease any advertising related to the contribution.  Politico referred to the news as a "game changer" in the race for Montana Governor.  (Certainly anything that can distract from Bullock's vote against developing the Otter Creek Coal Tracts is a positive development for the Bullock campaign)