Montana GOP Candidate Body Slams Reporter

Tomorrow's news: Trump appoints Greg Gianforte to head up FBI.

“It’s unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ.”

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That is some top notch victim blaming. Republican voters are swooning, I'm sure.

Reports on twitter are that police were taking witness statements, and Gianforte left the event without speaking (apparently it was supposed to be a meet-and-greet).

Fox News reporters were the eyewitnesses.

During that conversation, another man — who we now know is Ben Jacobs of The Guardian — walked into the room with a voice recorder, put it up to Gianforte's face and began asking if him if he had a response to the newly released Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte told him he would get to him later. Jacobs persisted with his question. Gianforte told him to talk to his press guy, Shane Scanlon.

At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the man, as he moved on top the reporter and began yelling something to the effect of "I'm sick and tired of this!"
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To be clear, at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte, who left the area after giving statements to local sheriff's deputies.

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ShaunHorton said:

Reports on twitter are that police were taking witness statements, and Gianforte left the event without speaking (apparently it was supposed to be a meet-and-greet).

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According the the RNC, Gianforte thought it was supposed to be a "greet and unseat."

Or a "greet and beat," maybe?

So, remember when that Nazi guy got punched in the face? And the right lost their minds not only at that, but that 'the liberals' didn't immediately and universally condemn it? I'm waiting for these... people to get on the air and start proving their not flaming hypocrites, but I have a feeling that's going to be a long wait, indeed.

There's this from the Billings Gazette:

While there are still questions left unanswered about GOP House hopeful Greg Gianforte's altercation with Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, eyewitness accounts, law enforcement investigations and records are all shocking, disturbing and without precedent.
That's why The Billings Gazette editorial board is also doing something without precedent: We're rescinding our editorial endorsement of Greg Gianforte.

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It makes excellent points, one that I would have missed, being

Speaking of which, the Gianforte campaign should be appalled by its statement that would seem to justify the fight when it said the Bozeman Republican had tussled with a "liberal journalist." How would the campaign known the reporter's political beliefs? And, is it suggesting that it's acceptable to put your hands on a reporter if you believe their political views are different from yours?

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Blast. Sorry, Technophobe. I misread your post.

mccardey said:

There's this from the Billings Gazette:

It makes excellent points, one that I would have missed, being

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That's a good article.

Its terrible when people attack reporters and journalists but it seems to have become fairly common. Especially if you're a freelancer, citizen journalist, or just some guy with a camera. What makes this weird though is that it was the actual politician who committed the violence. Usually they would just have goons or police do it.

I've been attacked by some guy in a suit I was filming complaining about black lives matter protesters. I was also arrested because I was photographing an animal rights protest. I got assaulted by campus police, detained illegally, and forced to delete my footage of them harassing people. Numerous people have grabbed my camera, pushed me, threatened to hurt me for being a 'snitch' (even though documenting is my job). And I"m the as far down on the bottom of tier for journalists and photographers.

Also journalists who work in conflict zones generally speaking are in serious danger. In the Iraq War, being a journalist was statistically the most dangerous job there. Reporters and photojournalists never used to die on the battlefield very often but because of the role of media in influencing public opinion, they are now considered legitimate targets by everyone, depending on what kind of news they are reporting.

Sorry bit of a rant.

Ugh - the linked article was a bit messed up, coming off a Google or Medium campaign of some sort, then somehow got an AW tag in front of it so wouldn't render. I tried both and neither worked, so here's an edited one for anyone who hasn't read it yet:

http://billingsgazette.com/opinion/...cle_34d90b42-545b-5e10-9355-605b7c5cb11f.html

ElaineA said:

Fox News reporters were the eyewitnesses.

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It's nice to see professional solidarity. And as eyewitnesses, not just commentators.

rugcat said:

Except, his account of what happened is directly contradicted by two eyewitnesses from FOXNews of all places. Montana voters may not care much for liberal journalists, but they care even less for politicians who get caught in a lie. His refusal to accept responsibility, the weasel words from his office, and the outright lie in describing the situation is going to turn voters off.

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"Gianforte was given a citation for misdemeanor assault and will have to appear in court sometime before June 7"
Pity they couldn't haul him into court tomorrow. A nice start (or end) to a career.

So Ben Jacobs filed an article in the Guardian.

GOP candidate Greg Gianforte has financial ties to US-sanctioned Russian companies

ETA: The URL says 28 April, the date stamp on the piece says 27 May. I assume this is old news that was updated today. I give up!

It wasn't like he was in a corner, being forced to answer personal questions about a scandal and losing the election. He was going to win. Maybe not by the margin he expected, but he was expected to win. Probably still will, but anyone with a temper like his and no qualms about publicly assaulting someone who offers him no physical threat, must have another tantrum or two in his past. Nobody like the reviled liberal press to dig into his past and dredge up what they can. He will come to Congress with toilet paper on his shoe. What passes in rural Montana (and rural Kansas) as assertive politics will be another strike against the GOP with urban voters. He can't be a welcome addition to the big guys in the party. --s6

Geez, whatever happened to a simple "no comment"?

Still, this does present an opportunity for a new campaign commercial. "Greg Gianforte: Fighting For You!"

Spent a good part of last night thinking the headline read 'body-shamed' a reporter. Not that it's ok to make fun of a reporter's appearance (won't stop you from being president, tho), but it lead to a weird night of facts gathering before I could figure out the error I made.

This could be good news/bad news for the Democrats. Good for them if they pick up one seat in Congress - but bad because they won't be able to claim the vote was a rejection of President Trump - just a vote against thuggery.
However, I heard on the radio that approximately 30% of the voters have voted early- so the GOP could still hold on to the seat.

CNN Reporter Kyung Lah tweets: MT GOP voter, upon learning we're from @CNN: "You're lucky someone doesn't pop one of you."

ElaineA said:

CNN Reporter Kyung Lah tweets: MT GOP voter, upon learning we're from @CNN: "You're lucky someone doesn't pop one of you."

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Wow. That's threatening.

There is a pretty fair chance that the guy holding out the tape recorder is as right wing as this misguided candidate. Just because someone works for MSN*C or F*x News does not mean that person is a true believer. It's a job. If he's from the Montana area, he may have sympathy for the candidate's position. No need to act like a Storm Trooper.

noirdood said:

There is a pretty fair chance that the guy holding out the tape recorder is as right wing as this misguided candidate. Just because someone works for MSN*C or F*x News does not mean that person is a true believer. It's a job. If he's from the Montana area, he may have sympathy for the candidate's position. No need to act like a Storm Trooper.

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But are you missing the point? It doesn't matter what beliefs the journo holds, one shouldn't threaten people. (And certainly one shouldn't threaten journalists at work, for all sorts of reasons ranging from humanity through to the workings of democracy - and not forgetting because they have recording devices.)

Just to be fair, I think noirdood is saying Gianforte acted inappropriately (thus the Storm Trooper reference?) Or at least that's how I read it. Could be wrong. However, it would help to read the links before posting, especially when there are available facts within them to refute the post, to avoid confusion.

The fact is, Gianforte didn't react in the same fashion to "friendly" reporters. The Fox News reporters were right there, in the room, not being assaulted. If you listen to the audio, Gianforte says to the Guardian reporter, "You're from the Guardian, right?" He knew exactly who the reporter was, and where he was from. And then Gianforte lost his sh**.