On the eve of Montana’s special election, a reporter for The Guardian on Wednesday accused Greg Gianforte, the millionaire Republican running for the state’s open congressional seat, of assaulting him.
Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said Gianforte “body slammed me and broke my glasses” after he asked a question about the Republican health care legislation.
In an audio recording posted by The Guardian, Jacobs can be heard asking Gianforte about the recently released Congressional Budget Office report on the Republican health care replacement bill. Then there’s a loud crash.
“I’m sick and tired of you guys,” Gianforte says. “The last time you came here you did the same thing. Get the hell out of here!”
“Jesus Christ,” Jacobs said. “You just body slammed me and broke my glasses.”
“Get the hell out of here,” Gianforte says again.
”If you’d like me to get the hell out of here, I’d also like to call the police,” Jacobs says.
Alexis Levinson, a BuzzFeed reporter, saw part of the clash, which happened at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman.
“This happened behind a half closed door, so I didn’t see it all, but here’s what it looked like from the outside,” Levinson wrote on Twitter. “Ben walked into a room where a local tv crew was set up for an interview with Gianforte … All of a sudden I heard a giant crash and saw Ben’s feet fly in the air as he hit the floor.”
Jacobs reported the attack to local police. The Gallatin County Sheriffs Office confirmed in a statement late Wednesday that it is investigating an alleged assault involving Gianforte. It said the investigation is “ongoing” and it would provide additional details “when appropriate.”
Gianforte’s office blamed “liberal journalist” Jacobs for the confrontation. Spokesman Shane Scanlon said in a statement that Jacobs barged into an interview in a private office and “aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg’s face and began asking badgering questions.”
After Jacobs refused to leave, Scanlon said, Gianforte “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.”
The high-profile incident on the eve of Election Day throws a contentious race into turmoil. Gianforte is locked in a tight race with Rob Quist, a banjo-playing folk musician who has never sought public office before.
Quist, asked to comment outside a campaign event, told reporters, “I think that’s more a matter for law enforcement.” He brushed aside further questions.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called on Gianforte to drop out of the race. The GOP “should not waste another minute before publicly denouncing their candidate and apologizing for the millions of dollars they spent on his behalf,” DCCC spokesman Tyler Law said in a statement.
Although Gianforte has led Quist in public polling, his lead has shrunk in recent weeks as Quist has tied him to the unpopular Republican health care bill passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month. Even as Gianforte reserved judgment on the bill in public, The New York Times obtained a recording of a call with Republican-leaning lobbyists in which Gianforte said he was “thankful for” the bill’s passage. He later tried to walk back the comments, but Quist pilloried him for it in advertisements and on the campaign trail.
News of Wednesday’s violence could be a blow that dooms Gianforte’s campaign, ensuring a Quist victory and a major win for Democrats nationally.
Progressive activists across the country have poured money into Quist’s race, seeing it as an opportunity to signal dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump in a state he won by 20 percentage points.
In the moments before the confrontation between Jacobs and Gianforte turned violent, the reporter can be heard asking the candidate to clarify his views on the GOP health care bill. A new Congressional Budget Office analysis of the legislation came out earlier in the day, presumably giving Gianforte information he needed to decide whether he supports it.
“You were waiting to make your decision about health care until you saw the bill and it just came out,” Jacobs began.
“We’ll talk to you about that later,” Gianforte replied.
“Yeah but there’s not gonna be time,” Jacobs shot back.
“Speak with Shane please,” Gianforte said, referring to his spokesman.
Then the recording cuts to the sound of scuffling.
Listen to The Guardian’s recording of the clash below:
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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