The special election for Montana"s House seat has been closely watched, with the heavily favored GOP candidate Greg Gianforte facing off against the surging Democratic challenger Rob Quist.
In a shocking development on the evening before the election, a reporter for The Guardian is alleging that Gianforte "body slammed" him before a scheduled campaign event on Wednesday evening:
Jacobs, who was with Gianforte along with a local TV crew, tweeted that audio of the moment would be posted — here it is:
While Buzzfeed News reporter Alexis Levinson initially reported on Twitter what she observed from outside the room where the alleged body slam took place, a dispatch from a Fox News team inside the room paints a considerably worse picture for Gianforte:
At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the man, as he moved on top the reporter and began yelling something to the effect of "I"m sick and tired of this!" Jacobs scrambled to his knees and said something about his glasses being broken. He asked Faith, Keith and myself for our names. In shock, we did not answer. He then said he wanted the police called and went to leave.
[Fox News]
The Police Are Investigating
The police aren"t revealing much, but they are investigating and say they have 5 eye-witnesses along with Gianforte. The sheriff in charge of the investigation is reportedly a Gianforte donor.
Gianforte Cut The Scheduled Event Short And Left The Scene
Gianforte was allowed to leave in an SUV with aides, and skipped the rest of his campaign event. His campaign released a short statement, which places the blame on Jacobs for the altercation:
The Guardian Reporter Had Previously Reported On Gianforte"s Ties To Sanctioned Russian Companies
In an April story, Jacobs revealed that Gianforte held investments in Russian companies that are currently under US sanctions. In the audio of the alleged body slam, it"s clear Gianforte is aware Jacobs works for the Guardian.
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