Greg Gianforte, Montana GOP candidate assaults reporter on the election eve

[Othello]

Why am I not the least bit surprised. Greg Gianforte, Montana's Republican candidate for the House, staunch supporter of Focus on the Family and the Heritage Foundation, allegedly body slams a reporter while screaming at him. Gianforte also supports Trump, opposes immigration, abortion and marriage equality, and blames Obama for Russia.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/24/greg-gianforte-bodyslams-reporter-ben-jacobs-montana

More on Gianforte: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Gianforte

[PennySycamore]

I hope Rob Quist beats him tomorrow.  I donated a little money to Rob's campaign.

[Leftitinmysnood]

Oh, look who else has connections to Doug Wilson! https://www.google.com/amp/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57d19d76e4b03d2d45991adc/amp

[AmazonGrace]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/us/politics/greg-gianforte-montana-republican-body-slams-reporter.html

Quote

 

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Republican candidate in a hotly contested special House election in Montana was charged with assaulting a journalist on Wednesday at what was to be a final rally in Bozeman on the eve of the vote. The attack brought police officers to the event and sent the reporter to the hospital for X-rays.

In a statement late Wednesday, the office of the Gallatin County sheriff, Brian Gootkin, said there was enough evidence to charge the candidate, Greg Gianforte, with misdemeanor assault. Mr. Gianforte, the Republican candidate for the state’s lone House seat, is scheduled to appear in court before June 7.

 

Trump has unleashed a monster. 

If you think this is just a librul fake news conspiracy, you may want to know that the investigating sheriff is a Gianforte donor and several eye witnesses are from Fox. 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/24/greg-gianforte-fox-news-team-witnesses-gop-house-candidate-body-slam-reporter.html

Quote

 

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 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 reporter. As Gianforte moved on top of Jacobs, he began yelling something to the effect of, "I'm sick and tired of this!"

Jacobs scrambled to his knees and said something about his glasses being broken. He asked Faith, Keith and myself for our names. In shock, we did not answer. Jacobs then said he wanted the police called and went to leave. Gianforte looked at the three of us and repeatedly apologized. At that point, I told him and Scanlon, who was now present, that we needed a moment. The men then left.

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. 

 

Gianforte's PR guy released a statement disputing the eye witness accounts and said a liberal reporter assaulted Gianforte. 

 

Several local newspapers pulled their endorsement but I understand it might be too late as most voters have already voted by mail before this incident. 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[formergothardite]

3 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Several local newspapers pulled their endorsement but I understand it might be too late as most voters have already voted by mail before this incident. 

It is crazy that attacking an innocent person and hurting them doesn't automatically disqualify you. 

[Gobsmacked]

Shades of Mosleys brown shirts in the UK in the 1930's pre-WW11.

 

[VelociRapture]

Ten bucks says he's still elected.

Can you tell I've been disillusioned?

[formergothardite]

Oh, I'm sure he will be elected. This is our country, a politician can beat up a guy just trying to do his job and suffer no real consequences. 

[BobTheWalrus]

Apparently he's been charged with assault now.

[nvmbr02]

42 minutes ago, VelociRapture said:

Ten bucks says he's still elected.

Can you tell I've been disillusioned?

The race was/is considered close. But in any case Montana has a high rate of absentee/early voting. I think I heard around 60% of the vote, from registered voters was in before this happened. Montana does allow same day registrations, so it may play some small factor but I wouldn't count on it.

Gianforte did just lose in the last election, he ran for governor, even though Trump won pretty big. So I don't think he is well liked to start with. 

34 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

Oh, I'm sure he will be elected. This is our country, a politician can beat up a guy just trying to do his job and suffer no real consequences. 

Unfortunately true.

 

[ViolaSebastian]

10 minutes ago, BobTheWalrus said:

Apparently he's been charged with assault now.

I'm relieved and surprised. Usually they find some way to wriggle out of charges. Hopefully he'll actually get convicted, too. 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

All of the newspapers Gianforte touts in this ad have retracted their endorsement

 

[December]

Why do these other connections totally not surprise me in light of the alleged body slamming a reporter... considering how the news was saying they had witnesses, video, audio, etc. they will be able to hold him responsible. And hopefully his opponent wins, but given the bizarre state of politics lately, who knows? 

14 hours ago, Othello said:

blames Obama for Russia

[HeathenBlondie]

Rats! When I saw this topic I was hoping to see this douchebag Gianforte was arrested for assault. I see he was charged with a misdemeanor, but was he actually jailed? If any of us regular people bodyslammed another person we didn't agree with we'd be locked up.

[candygirl200413]

Again get used to our new normal. We are now in this new normal that he will still win, and that more candidates can body slam/beat up reporters and that most people are going to find this acceptable.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Why ‘Mr. Gianforte Goes to Washington’ would be a horror film"

Spoiler

The news out of Montana landed like a Brock Lesnar facebuster.

Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said he was body-slammed Wednesday night by the Republican candidate in Montana’s special congressional election while asking a question about the Congressional Budget Office's revised score of the American Health Care Act.

“Greg Gianforte just body slammed me and broke my glasses,” Jacobs tweeted on the eve of the special election in which Gianforte is (was?) considered the slight favorite.

For American journalists and anybody else who cares about the First Amendment and the role of the free press in a healthy democracy, the body-slamming incident added an exclamation point to the sad sentence that began writing itself during Donald Trump's press-hating presidential campaign and hasn't stopped since: We, the so-called enemy of the American people, are under attack, under arrest and, now, under (alleged) assault.

Last week's report of a longtime Washington journalist saying he was manhandled by security guards and ejected from a Federal Communications Commission meeting for asking questions suddenly seems quaint. (At least Trump didn't act on the hot-mic remark by Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, who joked about the president's ceremonial Coast Guard saber: “Use that on the press.”)

Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault hours after the violent encounter — but not before the House hopeful's spokesman attempted to pin the blame on Jacobs, who seems to have triggered Gianforte by committing the apparent crime of journalism.

“Tonight, as Greg was giving a separate interview in a private office, The Guardian's Ben Jacobs entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face, and began asking badgering questions,” Shane Scanlon said in a widely derided statement. “Jacobs was asked to leave. After asking Jacobs to lower the recorder, Jacobs declined. Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. Jacobs grabbed Greg's wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground. It's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ.”

A Fox News Channel reporter who witnessed the encounter told a totally different story, writing in a vivid first-person account that “Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him.” The Fox News crew, she said, “watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the reporter. As Gianforte moved on top of Jacobs, he began yelling something to the effect of, 'I'm sick and tired of this!' ”

An audio recording of the exchange also runs counter to Scanlon's version of events.

Jacobs asks about the CBO score.

Gianforte says he'll talk about it later.

Jacobs says there's “not going to be time” and notes that he's “just curious.”

“Speak with Shane, please,” Gianforte says.

Jacobs continues to press, saying: “But you gotta …”

And then all hell breaks loose.

You can hear the recording in the video at the top of this post. You can also read a transcript.

There is a lot to unpack in Scanlon's fidget spinner of a statement.

But one thing that jumped out to the political class and journalists was Scanlon's assertion that Jacobs “aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face, and began asking badgering questions.”

Asking questions is, of course, what reporters do, and that's especially true at the very place Gianforte would like to work, a place where (news flash!) ... there are a lot of reporters.

...

“If you’re running for public office and don’t like 'recorders shoved in your face,' you’re gonna have a bad time,” Republican pollster Frank Luntz noted.

In fact, there are so many reporters and photojournalists on the Hill these days that the Senate press gallery sent a letter to news organizations last week regarding “Senate Corridor Congestion.”

“The Capitol has reached its capacity for reporters,” said the letter, sent to bureau chiefs and editors from numerous news organizations, including The Washington Post. “The crowding is affecting your reporters' abilities to do their job effectively and adversely affecting Senate operations.

“We understand the increased demand for reporting at the Senate. However, we are concerned for everyone's safety. Collectively, the press following the Senators have become large and aggressive. We are concerned someone may get hurt.”

The letter noted that the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms “is monitoring this situation and considering actions ... as a response to safety concerns.”

Here, then, is some potential storyboard inspiration for “Mr. Gianforte Goes to Washington,” which could be a horror film, given Gianforte's aversion to meeting the press:

... <lots of pictures of reporters surrounding politicians with cameras and microphones>

This is “School House Rock” stuff, but the role of political journalists is to keep tabs on what members of Congress are doing and thinking — and to report their findings to the American people, who, of course, those members of Congress represent. This isn't a complicated equation, and most members of Congress get it.

They may obfuscate or evade or grandstand, or sometimes do all of those things within the same, run-on sentence. What they don't do, however, is commit violence against the people asking questions.

Something for Gianforte to think about as he fights his way to Washington.

... <more good pictures and tweets>

Horror film, indeed.

[47of74]

2 hours ago, candygirl200413 said:

Again get used to our new normal. We are now in this new normal that he will still win, and that more candidates can body slam/beat up reporters and that most people are going to find this acceptable.

That's why I went and took the free karate class after the election, and might take more unarmed self defence in the future.  Especially now since guys like this and other Republicans seem to have difficulty with the concept of respecting other people's personal space and not acting violently towards others.

[fraurosena]

Today's WUT of the day is a bit different, because it's not about federal politics, but about Gianforte. And no, it's not about the body slam. 

 

 

[JMarie]

Rachel Maddow on the Montana special election (from February)

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/montana-gop-chair-warns-too-much-voter-turnout-favors-democrats-882954307844

(it's long, but the good stuff starts around minute 14)

Summary:  Montana ballots must be completely accurate.  Shortly before the election last November, a Libertarian candidate died, and the ballots had to be reprinted.  It was a very large expense.  Then Montana's only congressperson got picked for Trump's cabinet, so there has to be a special election to fill the position.  In non-presidential elections, Montanans vote by mail.  But no!  Too many Democrats might vote, and Montana might get a non-Republican congressperson! A Democrat!

[Honeysuckle]

6 hours ago, HeathenBlondie said:

Rats! When I saw this topic I was hoping to see this douchebag Gianforte was arrested for assault. I see he was charged with a misdemeanor, but was he actually jailed? If any of us regular people bodyslammed another person we didn't agree with we'd be locked up.

Apparently the injuries suffered by the reporter did not meet the criteria for felony assault. In Montana, the extent of the injuries determines whether it's a felony or misdemeanor.
 

Quote

 

If the harm is mere “bodily injury,” such as physical pain or the temporary impairment of a physical condition, the charge is likely to be a misdemeanor.

(Mont. Code Ann. §§ 45-5-202, 45-2-101.)

 

Misdemeanor assault penalties can include a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail. So, I guess probably based on state law, if I went out and attacked someone, I could also expect to receive a citation and have to appear in court, without being arrested.

[older than allosaurs]

So I just read that Gianforte has served on the board of Doug Wilson's Association of Classical and Christian Schools and spoke at their 2014 and 2015 conferences. Doug does love those Alpha males.

 

[nvmbr02]

I read (on Facebook, but forgot to save the link) that Gianforte raised $100,000 in online donations last night, after the word of the incident spread. I don't find it surprising, but it is disgusting.

On a brighter note there is a gofundme set up for the reporter, Ben Jacobs, to buy new glasses. The fund reached its goal and is now raising money for a fund to help protect journalists.