Republican Candidate Allegedly Body Slammed a Reporter Who Asked About Health Care

Ben Jacobs claimed he was body slammed by Republican candidate Greg Gianforte after asking questions about the American Health Care Act.

Greg Gianforte speaks to supporters
Image via Getty/Justin Sullivan

Greg Gianforte speaks to supporters

Greg Gianforte speaks to supporters

A national political reporter claims he was “body slammed” by Republican U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte.

The alleged altercation took place at the politician’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, on the eve of the state’s special election. The journalist, Ben Jacobs of the Guardian, tweeted about the assault shortly after it occurred Wednesday night.

The Guardian posted audio of the encounter on YouTube. Jacobs can be heard asking Gianforte, a 56-year-old tech millionaire, about the American Health Care Act’s CBO report, which states the GOP health care plan will leave 23 million more people uninsured in 2026 than the current Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). Gianforte became seemingly agitated with Jacobs’ question, and said, “We’ll talk to you about that later” before a scuffle can be heard in the recording. 

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

“I’m sick and tired of you guys,” Gianforte screams. “The last guy who came here did the same thing. Get the hell out of here. Get the hell out of here. The last guy did the same thing. Are you with the Guardian?”

Jacobs responds: “Yes! You just broke my glasses […] You just body slammed me and broke my glasses.”

It's important to note that Jacobs has covered Gianforte's political career in the past. About a month ago, he wrote a story about Gianforte's financial ties to Russian companies sanctioned by the U.S. government. This might explain the politician's hostile attitude toward Jacobs and the publication. 

According to the Guardian, the incident went down in a room with a local television news crew. BuzzFeed News reporter Alexis Levinson was in the building at the time of the alleged assault, and went to Twitter to share what she saw:

Jacobs spoke to MSNBC about the incident while in the back of an ambulance Wednesday night.

Shortly after the alleged assault made headlines, Gianforte's campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon released a statement that contradicted eye-witness reports as well as the audio. Scanlon blamed Jacobs for the violence.

Fox News reporters who were on scene painted a very different picture than Scanlon. Reporter Alicia Acuna, field producer Faith Mangan, and photographer Keith Railey were on hand and gave this account:

Ben Jacobs of The Guardian...walked into the room with a voice recorder, put it up to Gianforte's face and began asking if he had a response to the newly released Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte told him he would get to him later. Jacobs persisted with his question. Gianforte told him to talk to his press guy, Shane Scanlon.

Gallatin County deputies responded to reports of the assault. The sheriff is now investigating the incident and held a press conference about the matter announcing that Gianforte was interviewed, but not arrested. The sheriff has since announced that Gianforte will be issued a citation for misdemeanor assault.

Latest in Life