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The Republican candidate for Montana's sole congressional seat, Greg Gianforte, has been charged with assault after reports he grabbed a Guardian political reporter by the neck and "body-slammed" him to the ground.
Gianforte was in a private office preparing for an interview with Fox News when Guardian political reporter Ben Jacobs came in without permission, campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon said.
The Fox News crew watched in astonishment as, after Jacobs pressed him on the GOP healthcare bill, "Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him", Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna wrote in an article.
"[Other Fox staff] and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the reporter," she wrote.
In an audio recording posted by the Guardian, Jacobs asks the congressional candidate about the GOP's healthcare bill, which was evaluated hours earlier by the Congressional Budget Office.
"We'll talk to you about that later," Gianforte said on the recording, referring Jacobs to a spokesman.
When Jacobs replies that there won't be time, Mr Gianforte says "Just—" and there is a crashing sound.
Gianforte yelled: "The last guy who came in here did the same thing."
Jacobs, sounding shaken, told the candidate: "You just body-slammed me and broke my glasses."
"Get the hell out of here," Mr Gianforte said.
Mr Gianforte has until June 7 to appear in court on the assault charge.
Gallatin County Sheriff's Brian Gootkin announced the charges in a statement posted to the county web site.
Mr Gianforte is running in a special US House election to fill the seat of Ryan Zinke, who is now President Donald Trump's Interior Secretary.
Scott Sales, the Republican president of Montana's state senate, said he could not understand why the scuffle took place.
"There's always two sides to a story, but this doesn't look good," Mr Sales said.
"It's not what you want to see happen on the eve of an election."
ABC/AP
Topics: assault, journalism, us-elections, united-states