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March 29, 2024

Reporter alleges GOP hopeful Greg Gianforte body-slammed him

Gianforte

Freddy Monares / Bozeman Daily Chronicle via AP

Republican candidate for Montana’s only U.S. House seat, Greg Gianforte, sits in a vehicle near a Discovery Drive building Wednesday, May 24, 2017, in Bozeman, Mont. A reporter said Gianforte “body-slammed” him Wednesday, the day before the special election.

Updated Wednesday, May 24, 2017 | 7:10 p.m.

HELENA, Mont. — A reporter said the Republican candidate for Montana's sole congressional seat body-slammed him Wednesday, the day before the polls close in the nationally watched special election.

Greg Gianforte was in a private office giving an interview when Guardian newspaper reporter Ben Jacobs went into the office without permission, campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon said.

In an audio recording released by Jacobs, the reporter asks the congressional candidate about the GOP's health care bill, which was just evaluated hours earlier by the Congressional Budget Office.

"We'll talk to you about that later," Gianforte says on the record, referring Jacobs to a spokesman.

When Jacobs says that there won't be time, Gianforte says "Just--" and there is a crashing sound. Gianforte yells, "The last guy who came here did the same thing," and a shaken-sounded Jacobs tells the candidate he just body-slammed him.

"Get the hell out of here," Gianforte says.

The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office said it's investigating allegations of an assault involving the wealthy Bozeman businessman. Jacobs, who was taken to a Bozeman hospital, could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press, and authorities did not provide other details.

The incident is a last-minute curveball in Thursday's nationally watched race, which was partly seen as a referendum on Donald Trump's presidency. The majority of voters are expected to have already cast ballots through early voting, and it was unclear how much of an effect it may have.

Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist, who declined to comment, are seeking to fill the state's seat in the U.S. House left vacant when Ryan Zinke resigned to join Trump's Cabinet as secretary of the Interior Department.

The Gianforte campaign released a statement blaming the incident on Jacobs. It contends he "aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face and began asking badgering questions" before being asked to leave.

Gianforte asked Jacobs to lower a phone that being used as an audio recorder, then tried to grab it, Scanlon said in a statement. Jacobs then grabbed Gianforte's wrist and both fell to the ground, the campaign said.

The 45-second recording does not contain a request from Gianforte that Jacobs lower his phone.

Alexis Levinson, a reporter for Buzzfeed who was outside the office where the encounter occurred, tweeted that she heard angry yelling and saw Jacobs' "feet fly in the air as he hit the floor."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says Gianforte must quit the race and the Republican Party should publicly denounce him.

Requests for comment went unanswered Wednesday night from House Speaker Paul Ryan and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Gianforte had been scheduled to attend a meet-and-greet with campaign volunteers at his headquarters in Bozeman, but he left early.

He has already had to apologize for his treatment of the press in the race, including after an incident last month at a meeting of a Christian group where a man complained about reporters and said he wanted to "wring their necks."

Gianforte pointed out a reporter covering the meeting and said, "It seems like there is more of us than there is of him."

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