GOP candidate charged with assault of reporter
Montana’s Greg Gianforte allegedly grabbed man’s neck
BOZEMAN, MONT.— A last-minute melee that led to an assault charge against a congressional candidate jolted many people in the nation who were viewing the election Thursday as a referendum on U.S. President Donald Trump’s young administration.
Now, it’s become a test of whether a candidate’s behaviour is more important than partisan leanings.
Voters were deciding Thursday whether to send Republican candidate Greg Gianforte to Congress after he was charged with assaulting a reporter a day earlier.
Shaun Scott, a computer science professor at Carroll College in Helena, voted for Gianforte despite the assault charge, saying it was barely a factor in his decision.
“If you have somebody sticking a phone in your face, a mic in your face, over and over, and you don’t know how to deal with the situation, you haven’t really done that, you haven’t dealt with that, I can see where it can . . . make you a little angry,” he said.
Witnesses say Gianforte grabbed Ben Jacobs, a reporter for the Guardian, by the neck on Wednesday and threw him to the ground.
The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office cited him for misdemeanour assault and he has until June 7 to appear in court.
Gianforte was keeping a low profile Thursday and could not be reached for comment.
His campaign has blamed Jacobs, contending he aggressively shoved his phone in the candidate’s face and grabbed Gianforte’s wrist as the Republican tried to move it away. A Fox News crew that witnessed the incident said that didn’t happen
If convicted, Gianforte could face up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said what occurred was “wrong and should not happen.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, called Gianforte “a wannabe Trump.”