Greg Gianforte of Montana, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House, faces charges of misdemeanor assault after allegedly slamming a reporter from The Guardian to the ground, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
The altercation took place at a campaign volunteer barbecue.
An audio clip of the conflict published by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle indicates reporter Ben Jacobs asked Mr. Gianforte for his thoughts on the American Health Care Act in light of the recent analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Mr. Gianforte told Mr. Jacobs he would talk to him about the bill later and directed him to his campaign spokesman.
An account from Fox news reporter Alicia Acuna, who was also at the event, claims Mr. Gianforte grabbed the reporter by the neck and threw him onto the ground, which the reporter said broke his glasses. Ms. Acuna wrote in a blog post that she and her colleagues "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!'"
Campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon provided the Bozeman Daily Chronicle with a statement detailing a different version of events. The statement reads, "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. Jacobs was asked to leave. After asking Jacobs to lower the recorder, Jacobs declined." The statement continues: "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."
The scuffle took place one day before the election and could potentially affect the vote, according to the report.
Read the full story here.
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