GOP candidate charged with misdemeanour assault of reporter
BOZEMAN, Mont. — The Republican candidate for Montana’s sole congressional seat was charged with misdemeanour assault Wednesday night after witnesses told police Greg Gianforte grabbed a reporter by the neck and slammed him to the ground the night before polls close in the nationally-watched election.
Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin made the announcement late Wednesday in a statement posted to the county website. Gianforte would face a maximum $500 fine or 6 months in jail if convicted. The statement added that the reporter’s injuries did not meet the legal definition of felony assault.
Gianforte was in a private office preparing for an interview with Fox News when reporter Ben Jacobs of The Guardian came in without permission, campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon said.
The Fox News crew watched in astonishment as, after Jacobs pressed him on the GOP health care bill, “Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him,” Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna wrote in an article . She added that Gianforte then began to punch Jacobs.