Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) claimed Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) may have dropped out of a Senate race in his state because he impregnated a staffer, a so-far unsubstantiated allegation that Rosendale’s office denied—and threatened legal action over.
Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp claimed there’s a “rumor” that Rep. Matt Rosendale impregnated a ... [+]
Heitkamp, a one-term senator, made the comments while appearing on the “Talking Feds with Harry Litman” podcast, claiming: “There’s a reason why Rosendale backed out of that Senate race. The rumor is that he impregnated a 20-year-old staff person.”
When Heitkamp shared her allegation, which she called “gossip” and did not provide any evidence to back up, she predicted the GOP “may lose a member in the next couple days” because of it.
Ron Kovach, a spokesperson for Rosendale, told Forbes Heitkamp’s statements were “100% false and defamatory” and the former senator “will be hearing from our lawyers soon.”
Heitkamp did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Rosendale announced he was running in the upcoming Republican primary to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D- Mont.) earlier this month. Less than a week after he announced his bid, he dropped out of the race. He would have had a steep hill to climb in the primary as former President Donald Trump endorsed Rosendale’s opponent, Tim Sheehy.
Rosendale has not yet publicly announced if he will run for reelection in the House, but he filed the necessary paperwork to do so on Saturday.