A Montana politician running for congressional office body slammed a reporter … and the sounds of the scuffle were caught on audio tape.
Greg Gianforte — who’s gunning for a House seat in Congress in the 2018 election — slammed Guardian reporter, Ben Jacobs, Wednesday in Bozeman, Montana during an event … around local TV crews, at that. He then yelled to “Get the hell out of here!”
Jacobs tweeted about the incident, saying Gianforte “broke my glasses.”
The reporter’s question about the GOP healthcare bill seemed to spark the attack, but it’s unclear if Gianforte faced any repercussions. Jacobs was quick to get the audio to the Guardian, which posted it soon after.
Jacobs also shared a photo of his broken glasses … as he was being taken away in an ambulance.
GOP=THUGGERY ALL THE WAY. Gianforte belongs in JAIL
Straight up thuggery.
The audio of this encounter it is actually very sad. The reporter was really very low key. He asked the Trumpcare question calmly, Gianforte tries to get rid of him, and the reporter tries again, still very calm. Then all hell breaks loose. But the sad part is listening to the reporter after the beating. His voice is now very clearly that of a person who just took a beating. His glasses are broken, he asks the witnesses for their names.
Then Gianforte’s flunkie lies about it and try to blame the reporter. Just total falsehoods that they made up in the spur of the moment to cover Gianforte’s sorry ass.
This is what guys like Gianforte have learned from Trump, that there is no Republican white male swinging d!ck that is too despicable to hold public office.
I’m so sick of this sh!t.
Thugs
Liberal Librarian
May 25, 2017
Yesterday, GOP candidate for the Montana At-Large House seat, Greg Gianforte, was accused of assaulting Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs. Audio taken of the incident and eye witness accounts back up Jacobs’ allegation. As of last night, Gianforte was cited for misdemeanor assault by the Gallatin County Sheriff.
What can you say about this? This is pure political thuggery. There’s no way you can condone this, or explain it away, although Republicans can and will try. Gianforte is thriving in the thuggish atmosphere created by Donald Trump and his brownshirts. One of the signs of fascism is when the press is attacked. Trump did it all last summer with his violent rhetoric towards the press, rhetoric which bordered on the eliminationist. And now rhetoric is being transformed into actual physical violence. A once-proud political party is now nothing more than a collection of thugs. And spare me the cries of the “moderates”; by remaining in the party, by not speaking out, they aid and abet the violence. You are known by the company you keep.
Of course, there are different types of thuggery. There are the thugs with bats and knives and guns. And then there are the thugs with pens. The Trump/Mulvaney budget is an example of the latter. It’s an example of thuggery towards the American commonwealth. Through budget cuts and allocations, it wishes to destroy the idea that we as a society owe anything to each other. It is a dark Randian masterpiece, Atlas Shrugged brought to life. Mick Mulvaney is no less of a thug than Greg Gianforte; he just assaults people with numbers rather than with physical force.
https://twitter.com/AP_Politics/status/867768136413609985
His butt crack should be sore from constantly straddling the razor wire political fence he sits upon. He’s a weaselly coward who is too afraid to say what needs to be said, which is that Gianforte is unfit to serve in Congress. Party over country, every d*mn time.
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/867766929737396228
ye, Eddie Munster, Ayn Rand Monster, all you white men have to do is apologize, and all is right with the gun-slinging, rude, body-slamming, racists craziness.
THE GOP ARE WHAT MAKES AMERICA UGLY.
https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/867547236380626944
Thread
1/ This Gianforte assault story is one of those moments where the cultural collapse of the GOP into the Trump Troll Party is captured
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) May 25, 2017
PS-Gianforte has Russian ties too…
Uh huh
Uh huh
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 5/24/17
MT GOP candidate Gianforte allegedly ‘body slams’ reporter
Rachel Maddow reports on the claim by Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs (and mounting evidence) that Republican special election congressional candidate Greg Gianforte “body slammed” Jacobs after being asked a question.
https://twitter.com/repjohnlewis/status/867747835931963393
https://twitter.com/mcevasco/status/867742792495366144
Gianforte, among other things, clearly does not have the temperament to represent the people. Also, in addition to physically assaulting a reporter, Gianforte’s “campaign spokesperson” lied about it in a lame attempt to blame the reporter.
Is this the kind of person who should represent the people? A rich white guy with an anger problem who so easily resorts to violence?
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/867744418945798145
Neither of these b*st*rds had anything to say when the Tea Partiers were showing their *sses in public a few years ago, including walking around with guns they took to Democratic politicians’ events. That they failed to stand up and oppose the things they were seeing then is the major reason Trump was able to win the WH. It’s also the main reason Pence and Trump aren’t saying anything about this matter after making robocalls on Gianforte’s behalf. I don’t want to hear any GOPer try to tell me ever again about Christianity, civility, morals, or integrity because they have none.
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/867548941864361984
https://twitter.com/ricoswann/status/867545137739702272
https://twitter.com/politico/status/867705147274780672
What offended me greatly was that after Gianforte assaulted Jacobs, he got into an SUV and exited the scene. If that had been Mr. Quist, local law enforcement would have detained him, but because the local sheriff is a friend of Gianforte’s, he was permitted to leave the scene after committing assault and battery. It also doesn’t escape my mind that if this crime had been committed by a black person, he might be dead and his family would be making funeral plans right about now. There would have been no restraint practiced by law enforcement officials, some of whom were definitely at this event. One or more of them would have opened fire and killed the buy, and the local sheriff would have backed him/her/them up.
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/867696364498694144
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/867739295309848580
https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/867618964293259264
https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/867722613577089024
https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/867541514607628288
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/867537231157891072
It’s related.