Montana GOP Candidate Charged With Assault After ‘Body-Slamming’ Reporter And Still Wins House Seat
The altercation happened on the eve of Montana ’s hotly contested special election for a U.S. House seat.
Greg Gianforte, the millionaire Republican running for the state’s open congressional seat, was charged with misdemeanor assault after attacking a reporter. Guardian political reporter Ben Jacobs said Gianforte “body slammed me and broke my glasses” after he asked a question about the Republican health care legislation. “I’m sick and tired of you guys,” Gianforte said. “The last time you came here you did the same thing. Get the hell out of here. ”If you’d like me to get the hell out of here, I’d also like to call the police,” Jacobs said. So that is story behind the scuffle of how got Gianforte charged with misdemeanor assault. But……Republican Greg Gianforte overcame that last-minute assault charge to win Montana’s special congressional election Thursday, keeping its lone House seat in GOP hands and dealing Democrats a setback in their bid to gain a red-state toehold ahead of the 2018 midterm election. Gianforte, 56, a wealthy businessman who ran unsuccessfully for governor in November, had long been the front-runner against Democrat Rob Quist, a professional bluegrass musician making his first run for public office.
Appearing at an exuberant victory rally, the congressman-elect hushed the crowd and apologized to the reporter with whom he tangled on election eve, reversing his campaign’s initial assertion the journalist was to blame. “Last night, I made a mistake,” Gianforte said, “and I took an action that I can’t take back, and I’m not proud of what happened and for that I’m sorry.” “That’s not the person I am,” he said soberly, “and it’s not the way I’ll lead in this state.” The scuffle between Gianforte and the reporter seemed for a time to throw the outcome into doubt. Several of Montana’s largest newspapers retracted their endorsement of the front-runner, who has a reputation in the state for prickliness, especially when dealing with reporters. “We’re at a loss for words,” wrote the Billings Gazette editorial board, which went on to condemn Gianforte and suggest the country needed to “take a long look in the mirror and a few deep breaths. This incident is not Montana. It’s not America. We must adopt zero tolerance for such behavior if freedom of expression means anything.” But many Gianforte supporters stuck by the candidate, minimizing the episode or saying they were not sure they trusted the media’s account. Even as Gianforte headed to victory, reverberations from his dust-up were felt as far as Capitol Hill, where Republican lawmakers scrambled to deal with the unflattering portrayal of their candidate behaving like a hockey goon. Gianforte was ordered to appear in court no later than June 7 and faces a maximum $500 fine or six months in jail if convicted.
These Are The New Rules Of Politics…Don’t Like What The Reporter Asks, So You Slam Them To The Ground?
Susan Z’s Conclusion:
Gianforte already had pretty much won the House seat when this incident happened. If it would have occurred earlier in the campaign, he may not have won so easily. But then again, we elected a president who was videoed boasting about grabbing “lady bits” because he can. So, nothing is a guaranteed win or loss in politics anymore nor respectful behavior is the norm.
King of Wands: This card is a man of action who is passionate about what he does and who he is. This card usually suggests an honorable man so maybe Gianforte is telling the truth and just had a bad moment?
Princess of Swords: Inverted (Upside Down)
This card is a young person with new creative thoughts and changing things for the better. Since the card is inverted, I feel this is the energy behind the whole incident. Young creative change versus old, solid values of keeping things the way they are.
Five of Swords: This card is what I call the wuss card and being taken advantage of. I believe this is Gianforte’s Achilles heel. If he feels he is being pushed put into a position of feeling not in control, his guards go down and is capable of reacting very badly as he did in this instance.
Susan Z Rich is an emotional addiction counselor, spiritual intuitive and holistic therapist. She counsels others to see life in a more positive way and teaches personal accountability for life choices. She is also the author of several children’s books and Soul Windows…Secrets From The Divine.