“President Donald Trump praised Montana Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter during his campaign last May, saying ‘any guy who can do a body slam … he’s my guy’ and made a gesture mimicking a body slam” at a campaign rally Thursday night in Montana, where the incident occurred, apparently unaware that Gianforte has apologized for the attack. Read story here.
At the time of the incident, Alicia Acuna, a Fox News reporter and witness, said “Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground, then began punching him,” according to Wikipedia. Gianforte later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges and was sentenced to community service, anger management classes, and fined. He donated $50,000 to the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists in exchange for Jacobs agreeing not to sue.
Trump’s praise for Gianforte’s attack on a reporter comes at the same time he’s slow-walking a U.S. response to Saudi Arabia’s apparent murder of an ex-pat Saudi journalist. In addition, Trump frequently incites the mobs attending his rallies against the journalists covering those events.
Photo: Gianforte’s police mugshot