Congressman-Elect Donates $50K To Settle Beef With Jewish Reporter He Attacked
Image by facebook
Montana Republican Congressman-elect Greg Gianforte pledged to donate $50,000 to a journalism advocacy group as part of an out-of-court settlement he reached with the reporter he physically assaulted on the eve of his election.
Gianforte, a wealthy technology executive who won Montana’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election May 25, also issued a public apology to the reporter, Ben Jacobs.
Jacobs, a political correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, accused Gianforte of “body-slammming” him, and breaking his eyeglasses, when the reporter posed a question about healthcare during a campaign event in Bozeman.
An audio recording of the incident revealed Gianforte shouting, “Get the hell out of here” .
Gianforte’s campaign initially suggested Jacobs instigated the altercation by barging into the candidate’s office and shoving a recording device in the politician’s face as he was preparing for a TV interview.
But in a letter of apology to Jacobs, Gianforte said his “physical response to your legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable and unlawful…I had no right to assault you.”
Gianfote also promised in the letter to contribute $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists. He still faces a misdemeanor assault charge.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
