Reporter Says Montana GOP Candidate ‘Body Slammed’ Him
The altercation happened on the eve of Montana’s special House election.
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.”
More: Reporter Says Montana GOP Candidate 'Body Slammed' Him
Wow, the election is tomorrow. Republicans are becoming more and more violent.