President Trump on Friday said he had no regret for making light of Rep. Greg Gianforte's physical assault on a reporter at a Montana rally Thursday night. 
 
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 "No, that was a different league, a different world," Trump said on Friday when asked whether he regretted Thursday's comments -- made amid outrage he's expressed over the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 
 
 "That was a tremendous success last night in Montana and Greg is a great person, he’s a tough cookie, and I’ll stay with that," Trump said, again offering praise for the congressman who body-slammed a reporter last year as he campaigned during a special election for Montana's at-large congressional seat. The incident was caught on audiotape. Gianforte went on to win the election and is now up for reelection. 
 
 "Any guy that can do a body slam, he is my type!" Trump said to cheers Thursday night. 
 
 Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 "I was in Rome with leaders when I heard about it, and I heard that he body-slammed a reporter," Trump said. 
 
 Trump said he was afraid Gianforte would lose after the moment, but then recalled, "Wait a moment, I know Montana." 
 
 Gianforte pleaded guilty and was sentenced to community service for the incident. He apologized on the night of his election victory, saying, "When you make a mistake you have to own it." 
 
 The White House Correspondents' Association has since come out to condemn the president comments. 
 
 "All Americans should recoil from the president's praise for a violent assault on a reporter doing his Constitutionally protected job. This amounts to the celebration of a crime by someone sworn to uphold our laws and an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has solemnly pledged to defend it. We should never shrug at the president cheerleading for a violent act targeting a free and independent news media," WHCA President Olivier Knox said in a statement. 
 
 For Trump, the Montana Senate race is personal. 
 
 Trump came to Montana on the attack against Tester, a two-term Democratic senator, who is in a close race against Matt Rosendale, the current state auditor. 
 
 The president has made it his mission to unseat Tester, whose office publically released information about alleged misconduct that led to White House physician Adm. Ronny Jackson’s failed nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Jackson denied allegations of misconduct and that he overprescribed medications, but eventually withdrew his name from consideration. Trump never forgot. 
 
 Jonathan Ernst/Reuters 
 
 “That’s really why I’m here,” Trump said. “I can never forget what Jon Tester did to a man of the highest quality. It was vicious.” 
 
 The president spoke at length about immigration and falsely said that Democrats are supporting a caravan of immigrants traveling up from Central America. 
 
 “They wanted that caravan and there are those who say that caravan didn’t just happen, it didn’t just happen. A lot of reasons that caravan -- 4,000 people -- but I just want to thank the Mexican government because they’re stopping it hopefully before it ever gets to Mexico,” Trump said. 
 
 “As you know, I’m willing to send the military to defend our Southern border if necessary all because of the illegal immigration onslaught brought by the Democrats because they refuse to acknowledge or to change the laws -- they like it,” Trump said. 
 
 Trump said that the midterm elections will be “an election of Kavanaugh, the caravan, law and order and common sense -- that’s what it’s going to be.” 
 
 Jonathan Ernst/Reuters 
 
 At times, the president veered off script, talking about the first lady’s trip to Africa and controversy over her pith hat (“I think she bought it in Los Angeles!”) and fake allegations he wears a toupee (“He wears a hairpiece”). 
 
 But then he would swerve back on course to talking about Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test in a state home to many Indian reservations: “It’s too bad because I can’t call her Pocahontas anymore.” 
 
 While Trump comfortably won the Big Sky state by 20 points, Tester, a moderate Democrat, maintains a slight lead in what has become one of the most expensive political contests in the small state’s history as millions of dollars have poured into Montana. It’s the president’s third trip to Montana, and Tester is only a few points ahead of Rosendale in recent polls. 
 
 AP 
 
 Tester has touted a bipartisan record in the Senate, even publishing a full-page newspaper ad at the beginning of the summer thanking the president for signing 16 of his bills into law on everything from government waste to veterans affairs. 
 
 “We can’t let Jon Tester and the radical liberal agenda win, they’ll go after President Trump,” Rosendale said. 
 
 While the president’s ire toward Tester is rooted in Jackson, many of the voters ABC News spoke with before the rally began didn't seem to know his name. 
 
 “I really don’t have any thoughts about him,” Jeffrey Stenger from Polson, Montana, told ABC News. 
 
 His wife Lynn jumped in, to remind him he was the White House physician who “got in a spat with Tester.” 
 
 “He has a good instinct of reading people, even in the beginning of the election he called people out and said the truth. So far, he hasn’t lied to me,” Stenger said. ||||| FILE - In this March 6, 2017 file photo technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte speaks to Republican delegates before a candidate forum in Helena, Mont. Gianforte won Montana's only U.S. House seat on... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this March 6, 2017 file photo technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte speaks to Republican delegates before a candidate forum in Helena, Mont. Gianforte won Montana's only U.S. House seat on Thursday, May 25, despite being charged a day earlier with assault after witnesses said he grabbed a... (Associated Press) 
 
 BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — The Latest on the misdemeanor assault case against Greg Gianforte, a Republican candidate for a Montana congressional seat in a special election Thursday. (all times local): 
 
 10:55 p.m. 
 
 Newly elected Republican congressman Greg Gianforte apologized to the reporter he's charged with assaulting. 
 
 After being declared the winner in the U.S. House race in Montana, Gianforte told supporters Thursday night that he should not have treated Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs the way he did. 
 
 Gianforte told the crowd: "I should not have responded the way I did and for that I am sorry." 
 
 Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault Wednesday after witnesses said he grabbed Jacobs and slammed him to the ground. 
 
 Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:30 p.m. 
 
 Republican Greg Gianforte has won the special election for Montana's sole U.S. House seat a day after being charged with assaulting a reporter. 
 
 Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist on Thursday to replace Ryan Zinke, who is now President Donald Trump's interior secretary. 
 
 Gianforte was elected despite being charged with misdemeanor assault on Wednesday after witnesses said he grabbed a reporter for the Guardian newspaper and slammed him to the ground. 
 
 The multimillionaire technology entrepreneur is an enthusiastic Trump backer, and his victory was seen as an endorsement of Trump. 
 
 Gianforte's campaign was boosted by rallies featuring Vice President Mike Pence and Donald Trump Jr. plus millions of dollars in ads by Republican groups. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:03 p.m. 
 
 Montana polls are closing, a day after Republican candidate Greg Gianforte was charged with assaulting a reporter. 
 
 Witnesses say Gianforte, a wealthy technology executive, grabbed Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian, by the neck on Wednesday in a Bozeman office and threw him to the ground. 
 
 The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office cited him for misdemeanor assault and he has until June 7 to appear in court. 
 
 Gianforte was keeping a low profile Thursday and could not be reached for comment. 
 
 He's running against Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:05 p.m. 
 
 A county attorney in Montana says he will review the case involving a Republican congressional candidate accused of shoving a reporter to the ground on the eve of a special election. 
 
 Gallatin County Attorney Marty Lambert said Thursday he will set aside celebrity and hype and look at the facts surrounding Greg Gianforte's altercation with Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian. 
 
 Lambert, who was elected as a Republican, says he knows Gianforte but not well. He sometimes encounters Gianforte at church, social events and GOP functions. 
 
 Sheriff's officials have cited Gianforte for misdemeanor assault in the Wednesday altercation. 
 
 Lambert, who has not donated money to Gianforte's campaign, says he will review the sheriff's decision to pursue a misdemeanor and not a felony. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:45 p.m. 
 
 The sheriff who cited a Montana congressional candidate for misdemeanor assault has apologized for not disclosing that he contributed $250 to the Republican's campaign. 
 
 Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin said Thursday that he should have revealed the donation at a previous news conference held after witnesses said candidate Greg Gianforte had grabbed a reporter by the neck on Wednesday and threw him to the ground at Gianforte's campaign headquarters. 
 
 Gootkin said the contribution had nothing to do with his duties as sheriff. 
 
 Gootkin said Gianforte left his campaign headquarters while deputies were investigating the case, and investigators later heard from Gianforte's attorney that they would need to contact him before speaking with Gianforte again. 
 
 ____ 
 
 2:55 p.m. 
 
 The sheriff who cited a Montana congressional candidate for shoving a reporter to the ground says the Republican was charged with misdemeanor assault because there was no serious bodily injury. 
 
 Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin said Thursday that under Montana law, assaults that don't result in serious injuries or involve a weapon are considered misdemeanors. Assaults that cause serious physical injuries or involve weapons are treated as felonies. 
 
 Gootkin said he never considered pursuing a felony charge against Greg Gianforte based on evidence collected after the Wednesday incident. 
 
 The reporter, Ben Jacobs, didn't have any visible injuries when he spoke to "Good Morning America" on Thursday but said he was taking "a lot of Advil" for pain. 
 
 He said he trusted that investigators had made the right decision on how to handle the case. 
 
 _____ 
 
 12 p.m. 
 
 The Montana congressional candidate accused of assaulting a reporter hasn't been seen or heard from Thursday as voters go to the polls. 
 
 Repeated phone calls to Greg Gianforte's cellphone went unreturned Thursday. Twice it sounded like someone picked up then immediately hung up. 
 
 His home in Bozeman is set back on property along the Gallatin River and isn't very visible from the road. Its gate was half-opened, with a sign thanking people for not trespassing. 
 
 People at Gianforte's campaign headquarters referred all questions to spokesman Shane Scanlon, who was not there. No one answered the door at Scanlon's home. 
 
 Gianforte has backed out of at least one planned television appearance. MSNBC's "MTP Daily" says he canceled on the show. 
 
 ____ 
 
 11:15 a.m. 
 
 Montana's Democratic governor is condemning a GOP House candidate charged with assaulting a journalist. 
 
 Gov. Steve Bullock said Thursday it is "unsettling that Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a journalist and then lied, refusing to take responsibility for his actions." 
 
 Bullock defeated Gianforte in Montana's governor's race last fall. 
 
 Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault Wednesday after an audio recording and eye witnesses appeared to describe him slamming a reporter for the Guardian to the ground. 
 
 Bullock says that no matter the outcome of Thursday's vote, "the actions of Gianforte do not reflect the values of Montana or its people." 
 
 Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist are vying to replace Ryan Zinke, who vacated Montana's lone House seat to become U.S. interior secretary. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:09 a.m. 
 
 House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says the GOP House candidate in Montana charged with assaulting a reporter is "a wannabe Trump." 
 
 "That's his model, Donald Trump," Pelosi said of Greg Gianforte, the wealthy Republican running in Thursday's special election for Montana's sole House seat. 
 
 Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault Wednesday after an audio recording and eye witnesses appeared to describe him slamming a reporter for the Guardian to the ground. 
 
 Ben Jacobs had been trying to question Gianforte about a new Congressional Budget Office analysis of the House health care bill. Gianforte's campaign accused Jacobs of "badgering." 
 
 Some House Republicans were not eager to comment Thursday morning but Pelosi said: "We've really got say enough. Behave. That was outrageous." 
 
 House Speaker Paul Ryan is calling for Gianforte to apologize, saying "that's wrong and should not happen." 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:56 a.m. 
 
 House Speaker Paul Ryan is calling for the Republican candidate in Montana's special House election to apologize after allegedly attacking a reporter and getting charged with assault. 
 
 Ryan says "that's wrong and should not happen." 
 
 But Ryan wouldn't say if Greg Gianforte should be barred from joining the House GOP conference if he wins Thursday's election. Instead Ryan said, "I'm gonna let the people of Montana decide who they want as their representative." 
 
 The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Congressman Steve Stivers, also weighed in Thursday. Stivers said: "From what I know of Greg Gianforte, this was totally out of character, but we all make mistakes." 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:20 a.m. 
 
 It's unclear how an alleged assault of a reporter by a Montana congressional candidate will affect the special election's outcome — in part because more than a third of the state's registered voters cast absentee ballots before polls opened Thursday. 
 
 Republican Greg Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault after allegedly throwing a reporter for the Guardian to the ground at his campaign headquarters late Wednesday. 
 
 Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist are seeking to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant when Ryan Zinke resigned to become President Donald Trump's Interior secretary. 
 
 Montana's secretary of state's office says 37 percent of registered voters had returned absentee ballots as of Wednesday. 
 
 Montana has just over 699,000 registered voters. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:40 a.m. 
 
 GOP lawmakers emerging from a closed-door caucus meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday said they didn't know the facts about Republican Greg Gianforte being charged with misdemeanor assault. 
 
 A reporter from the Guardian accused the tech millionaire of slamming him to the ground and breaking his glasses in an altercation at Gianforte's campaign headquarters in Bozeman on Wednesday afternoon. The reporter had tried to ask Gianforte a question about the latest budget analysis of the GOP health care bill. 
 
 A few lawmakers did comment. 
 
 Asked if assaulting a reporter is appropriate behavior, California Rep. Duncan Hunter said, "Of course not. It's not appropriate behavior. Unless the reporter deserved it." 
 
 Indiana Rep. Luke Messer said he wasn't sure whether the incident would hurt or help Gianforte in Thursday's special election for the open House seat. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:50 a.m. 
 
 The polls are open in a race for Montana's only congressional seat just hours after the front-running candidate was charged with beating up a reporter. 
 
 Republican Greg Gianforte has not appeared in public since he was charged with misdemeanor assault late Wednesday. A reporter from the Guardian accused the tech millionaire of slamming him to the ground and breaking his glasses in an altercation Wednesday afternoon at Gianforte's campaign headquarters in Bozeman. 
 
 Gianforte's camp issued a statement hours before the charge was filed disputing reporter Ben Jacobs' account. But an audio recording Jacobs made and a Fox News crew that witnessed the altercation back up Jacobs' version. 
 
 Three of Montana's biggest newspapers pulled their endorsements of Gianforte but did not endorse his opponents. 
 
 Jacobs told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he was doing his job and asking a question. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5 a.m. 
 
 The Guardian reporter who authorities say was assaulted by a Montana Republican candidate for a U.S. House seat says he never touched the politician before he was thrown to the ground. 
 
 Ben Jacobs told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he was doing his job and asking a question of candidate Greg Gianforte as part of covering Thursday's special election. 
 
 Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault. He's accused of grabbing Jacobs by the throat and throwing him to the ground in his campaign office Wednesday night. Gianforte's campaign blamed Jacobs, saying the reporter was being aggressive and grabbed Gianforte. 
 
 Jacobs said Thursday of Gianforte's account that "the only thing that is factually correct ... is my name and place of employment." 
 
 Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist are seeking to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant when Ryan Zinke resigned to join Trump's Cabinet as secretary of the Interior Department. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:30 a.m. 
 
 Thursday's special election for Montana's sole congressional seat got a last-minute twist when the Republican candidate, Greg Gianforte, was charged with misdemeanor assault. 
 
 Greg Gianforte was cited for grabbing a reporter by the throat and throwing him to the ground in his campaign office Wednesday night. The reporter, Ben Jacobs of The Guardian, was asking Gianforte about the Republican health care bill. Three Fox News employees witnessed the attack, which was also captured on an audio recording. 
 
 Gianforte's campaign blamed Jacobs for the incident. 
 
 Many voters cast their ballot early so it'll be hard to know the impact of the charge on the election results. Authorities said Jacobs' injuries weren't severe enough for a felony assault charge. ||||| Montana Republican fined $385 and spared jail after pleading guilty to assaulting Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs on the eve of Gianforte’s election 
 
 Congressman-elect Greg Gianforte was sentenced to community service, a $385 fine and 20 hours of sessions for anger management after pleading guilty to assaulting Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs on the eve of his election. 
 
 In a courtroom packed with journalists and spectators in Bozeman, Montana, Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, saying, “Although it was not my intention to hurt him, I understand Ben was injured.” 
 
 After judge Rick West repeatedly asked Gianforte whether he believed he caused injury to Jacobs, the congressman-elect said he did. West initially said he would sentence him to four days in jail, saying he could do a work program as an alternative to spending those nights in jail. But when the judge learned that the assault charge was not eligible for the program, he decided to instead sentence him to 40 hours of community service, emphasizing that he did not want the congressman-elect to go to jail. 
 
 “You accepted responsibility. You apologized,” said West, who noted the Republican tech millionaire’s business accomplishments in his sentencing. The judge also said he did not believe the maximum fine of $500 was necessary. 
 
 'This needs to stop': Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs' statement to court Read more 
 
 In his statement to the court, Jacobs recounted the violent encounter and aftermath: “I asked Mr Gianforte a question in the same manner I have asked questions of hundreds of politicians: congressmen, senators and even the man who is now our president. Mr Gianforte’s response was to slam me to the floor and start punching me. He injured my elbow, broke my glasses and thrust me into a national spotlight I did not seek or desire.” 
 
 Gianforte arrived to court with his wife Susan earlier Monday morning and rushed past photographers and reporters, ignoring their questions. 
 
 The sentencing comes a week after Gianforte reached a settlement with Jacobs in which the Republican apologised to the reporter and agreed to pay $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists. 
 
 In a letter to Jacobs, Gianforte wrote his “physical response” to the Guardian reporter’s “legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable, and unlawful”. 
 
 “I made a mistake and humbly ask for your forgiveness,” he added. 
 
 Gianforte was charged with assault just hours before voting began in the 25 May special election to fill Montana’s sole House of Representatives seat, which was vacated by Ryan Zinke after he was appointed president Donald Trump’s secretary of the interior. 
 
 When Jacobs approached the then-candidate at his campaign headquarters in Bozeman to ask a question about the Republican health care bill, Gianforte reacted by throwing the reporter to the ground and punching him. 
 
 Jacobs captured audio of the altercation, and his account was corroborated by a team of Fox News reporters who were in the room. Jacobs’ glasses were broken during the assault. 
 
 Play Video 0:41 Republican Greg Gianforte 'body slams' Guardian reporter in Montana – audio 
 
 “Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him,” Fox News reporter Alicia Alcuna wrote in a first-hand account. “Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the reporter.” 
 
 Gianforte was charged later that night, and Montana’s three largest newspapers quickly withdrew their endorsements of the Republicans. However, the Republican was elected the following day, drawing just over 50% of the vote against Democrat and folk-singer Rob Quist. More than two-thirds of the votes had been cast by mail before the attack on Jacobs occurred. 
 
 The Gianforte campaign initially blamed Jacobs for the incident, issuing a statement that falsely claimed the reporter “grabbed Greg’s wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground”. 
 
 “It’s unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ,” campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon said in the statement. 
 
 Though Gianforte apologized for his actions at his election night victory party, the congressman-elect did not address his campaign’s false statement about the incident until reaching last week’s civil settlement. 
 
 “Notwithstanding anyone’s statements to the contrary, you did not initiate any physical contact with me, and I had no right to assault you,” he wrote in the letter. “I am sorry for what I did and the unwanted notoriety this created for you.” 
 
 In his court statement on Monday, Gianforte initially declined to admit that he directly caused Jacobs injuries, saying: “In the scuffle, we fell to the floor, and I understand his elbow was injured.” When the judge asked if he caused injury, Gianforte replied: “I understand bodily injury resulted.” 
 
 Pressed on the question, Gianforte eventually admitted that he was the cause of Jacobs’ injuries. 
 
 For his part, Jacobs noted in court that Gianforte “lied in a defamatory public statement”, but said he now expects Gianforte to be a “strong advocate for a free press and for the first amendment” in Congress. He said he hopes he gets an opportunity to interview him. 
 
 
 
 The reporter also noted that the incident has “had national ramifications on our politics and our culture,” adding, “While I have no doubt that actions like these were an aberration for Congressman-elect Gianforte personally, I worry that, in the context of our political debate, they have become increasingly common. In recent years, our discourse has grown increasingly rancorous and increasingly vile. This needs to stop.” 
 
 Jacobs continued: “There will always be fundamental political disagreements in our society. However, these need not become personal and certainly should never become violent. I hope this court’s decision can send a strong message about the necessity of civil discourse and the important role of the free press and to help heal our political system.” 
 
 At the end of the hearing, Gianforte addressed Jacobs directly, saying: “I just want to say I’m sorry, and if and when you’re ready, I look forward to sitting down with you.” 
 
 However, outside the courtroom following the hearing Gianforte ignored most reporters’ questions, including journalists who asked about Jacobs’ original health care question and another reporter who asked why his campaign initially lied about the assault. Gianforte, his wife and Scanlon rushed into a car waiting outside for them as a protester with a “Lock him up” sign shouted: “You assaulted the first amendment!” 
 
 Guardian US editor Lee Glendinning said in a statement: “This decision should remind all those in positions of authority that a free press, like freedom of speech, is one of the building blocks of American democracy, established under the first amendment. The Guardian thanks our colleagues across the whole media spectrum, whether liberal or conservative, for their solidarity and support for Ben Jacobs over the last few weeks. We will continue to pose tough questions on behalf of our readers.” 
 
 The Montana Democrats called on Gianforte to resign after the sentencing, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called him a “violent criminal” in a statement, saying his “guilty plea to this heinous assault shows he’s absolutely unfit for, and unworthy of, the honor of representing Montana”. Spokespeople for the National Republican Congressional Committee and House speaker Paul Ryan declined to comment on the guilty plea. 
 
 While Monday’s proceedings bring a close to the criminal case, Gianforte could still face discipline in Congress. On 2 June, a coalition of press freedom organizations filed a complaint with congressional ethics officials asking that Gianforte be disciplined for the assault. ||||| Audio of Greg Gianforte attacking Ben Jacobs corroborated by Fox News journalists in the room, who described candidate ‘slamming him to the ground’ 
 
 The Republican candidate for Montana’s congressional seat has been charged with misdemeanor assault after he is alleged to have slammed a Guardian reporter to the floor on the eve of the state’s special election, breaking his glasses and shouting: “Get the hell out of here.” 
 
 Ben Jacobs, a Guardian political reporter, was asking Greg Gianforte, a tech millionaire endorsed by Donald Trump, about the Republican healthcare plan when the candidate allegedly “body-slammed” the reporter. 
 
 GOP candidate has financial ties to US-sanctioned Russian companies Read more 
 
 “He took me to the ground,” Jacobs said by phone from the back of an ambulance. “I think he whaled on me once or twice … He got on me and I think he hit me … This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me in reporting on politics.” 
 
 Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna, field producer Faith Mangan and photographer Keith Railey witnessed the incident at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Montana, according to an account published on the Fox News website. After Jacobs asked Gianforte his question, Acuna wrote: “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!’ … To be clear, at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte, who left the area after giving statements to local sheriff’s deputies.” 
 
 Jacobs subsequently reported the incident to the police. The Gallatin county sheriff’s office said on Wednesday night it had completed its investigation and that Gianforte had been issued with a charge of misdemeanour assault. 
 
 “Following multiple interviews and an investigation by the Gallatin county sheriff’s office it was determined there was probable cause to issue a citation to Greg Gianforte for misdemeanor assault,” sheriff Brian Gootkin said in a statement. “The nature of the injuries did not meet the statutory elements of felony assault. Greg Gianforte received a citation on Wednesday night and is scheduled to appear in Gallatin county justice court between now and 7 June 2017.” 
 
 A statement by campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon blamed Jacobs for the altercation, saying that he “entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg’s face, and began asking badgering questions.” 
 
 “Jacobs was asked to leave,” the statement reads. “After asking Jacobs to lower the recorder, Jacobs declined. Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. Jacobs grabbed Greg’s wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground. 
 
 “It’s unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ.” 
 
 Scanlon’s account is contradicted by audio of the abortive interview recorded by Jacobs, as well as the Fox News account. The audio does not capture Jacobs being asked to leave or lower his recorder, but does contain an apparent reference to the Guardian’s previous attempts to report on Gianforte. “I’m sick and tired of you guys,” Gianforte said. “The last guy who came here did the same thing. Get the hell out of here. Get the hell out of here. The last guy did the same thing. Are you with the Guardian?” 
 
 “Yes! You just broke my glasses,” Jacobs replied. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ben Jacobs with his broken glasses being carted off in the ambulance. Photograph: Ben Jacobs for the Guardian 
 
 “The last guy did the same damn thing,” Gianforte said. 
 
 “You just body slammed me and broke my glasses,” Jacobs said. 
 
 “Get the hell out of here,” Gianforte yelled. 
 
 At a press conference on Wednesday evening, sheriff Brian Gootkin said that there had been four witnesses to the altercation, in addition to Gianforte and Jacobs. Gianforte briefly spoke with sheriff’s deputies following the altercation but has not been interviewed. Gootkin said that he was not aware of any video of the incident. He also requested that reporters and members of the public stop calling Gallatin’s 911 dispatch. 
 
 According to campaign finance filings, Gootkin donated $250 to Gianforte’s campaign in March. Gootkin’s later statement acknowledged the contribution but said it had “nothing to do with our investigation which is now complete”. 
 
 Guardian US editor Lee Glendinning said in a statement: “The Guardian is deeply appalled by how our reporter, Ben Jacobs, was treated in the course of doing his job as a journalist while reporting on the Montana special election.” 
 
 “We are committed to holding power to account and we stand by Ben Jacobs and our team of reporters for the questions they ask and the reporting that is produced.” 
 
 The altercation took place at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. Gianforte was in a side room with a local television news crew when Jacobs attempted to ask his question, according to Jacobs. 
 
 “I decided there was no harm in asking one question, and the worst thing that could happen was they would tell me to go to hell,” Jacobs said. 
 
 Jacobs’s account was also partially confirmed by BuzzFeed News reporter Alexis Levinson, who wrote on Twitter that she had been in an adjacent room during the incident. 
 
 “This happened behind a half closed door, so I didn’t see it all, but here’s what it looked like from the outside – Ben walked into a room where a local TV crew was set up for an interview with Gianforte. All of a sudden I heard a giant crash and saw Ben’s feet fly in the air as he hit the floor. Heard very angry yelling (as did all the volunteers in the room) – sounded like Gianforte…” 
 
 Levinson told the Guardian by phone that before the incident, she overheard Gianforte’s staff telling Jacobs that the campaign was upset with the Guardian’s previous reporting and that the candidate would likely not have time to talk to him. Jacobs then entered the side room to try to talk to Gianforte, whose campaign has been backed by robocalls to voters from Trump and his vice-president, Mike Pence. 
 
 On Tuesday, the Guardian published the latest episode of its video series Anywhere but Washington about the Montana special election. The video includes two instances when Gianforte refused to be interviewed by reporter Paul Lewis. Video producer Adithya Sambamurthy said Wednesday that he and Lewis had been “blindsided” by the candidate’s unwillingness to answer questions, because they had been in contact with the campaign spokesman prior to their trip. Gianforte eventually agreed to speak with the Guardian for the video. 
 
 The special election called when Ryan Zinke vacated his seat has attracted national attention, and spending has reached $17m as the race has tightened. Democrat Rob Quist is a political novice and folk singer. Quist declined to comment on the altercation when approached by reporters on Wednesday. 
 
 Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) Quist responds (sort of) pic.twitter.com/cvnfAm0NyE 
 
 Gianforte is a tech mogul who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2016. 
 
 On 28 April, Jacobs reported on Gianforte’s financial ties to Russian companies that have been sanctioned by the US. Gianforte’s wealth is estimated at between $65m and $315m. 
 
 Last month, the Missoulian newspaper took Gianforte to task for his attitude toward the press. At an event hosted by the Advancing Conservatism Society, an audience member reportedly said: “Our biggest enemy is the news media. How can we rein in the news media?” 
 
 Gianforte responded by pointing at a reporter and saying: “We have someone right here. It seems like there is more of us than there is of him.” Gianforte later told the Billings Gazette that his comments were a joke. 
 
 The Missoulian editorial board interpreted Gianforte’s statement as “demonstrat[ing] Gianforte’s agreement that news media are ‘the enemy’”. 
 
 “While his apology is appreciated,” they wrote, “Gianforte needs to take pains to set a better example of civility from now on.” ||||| Republican businessman Greg Gianforte won Montana’s sole House district in a special election Thursday, keeping a seat in Republican hands despite facing assault charges for allegedly attacking a reporter who’d asked him about the GOP’s health-care bill. 
 
 In his victory speech, Gianforte admitted to the attack and apologized for it. 
 
 “I shouldn’t have treated that reporter that way,” he told supporters at his rally here. 
 
 The victory, called by the Associated Press, offered some relief for Republicans, who have struggled to sell their Obamacare overhaul, the American Health Care Act. But it was a closer call than the party had expected when it tapped the multimillionaire to run in a state President Trump carried by 20 points — and when Democrats nominated folk singer Rob Quist instead of an experienced politician. With 83 percent of the vote counted, Gianforte led Quist 51 percent to 44 percent, according to preliminary returns. 
 
 Some in the crowd laughed at the mention of the incident. “I made a mistake,” said Gianforte. 
 
 “Not in our minds!” yelled a supporter. 
 
 Democrats, who called on Gianforte to quit the race after the assault charge, believed that late votes broke Quist’s way, and that the first-time candidate put the race in play by attacking the AHCA. Forcing Republicans to spend seven figures defending a typically safe seat, they argued, was worth it. 
 
 “We said at the outset that this would be a very difficult election on very red turf,” said David Nir, the political director of Daily Kos, which endorsed Quist and crowdfunded donations for him. “The playing field next month in Georgia and next year in the midterms is much more favorable. Republicans might be breathing a sigh of relief that their morally reprehensible candidate won on Thursday night, but they should still be very worried about 2018.” 
 
 Quist conceded defeat shortly after 11 p.m. local time. “Your voices were definitely heard in this election,” he told supporters at his election party in Missoula. “I know we came up short but the energy and the grass-roots movement in this state goes on.” 
 
 In-person voting began across the state just hours after Gianforte allegedly “body-slammed” Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, who was trying to ask him a question about the House Republican health-care plan. Gianforte has been charged with misdemeanor assault. 
 
 “I’m glad I waited to vote until today,” Wolf Redboy, 43, a software marketer and musician from Missoula, who backed Quist, said Thursday. It was the first election he’d voted in since 2012. “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing in that tape. There are lots of words that come to mind for people who want to treat reporters that way.” 
 
 The scuffle was caught on tape by the reporter and witnessed by a Fox News reporting team. Gallatin County police announced the charges late Wednesday after the Guardian published the recording. 
 
 On Thursday, as three major newspapers pulled their endorsements of the technology entrepreneur and some early voters sought in vain to change their ballots, GOP leaders urged Gianforte to apologize in an attempt to control the damage. 
 
 “There is no time where a physical altercation should occur,” House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said at his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill. “It should not have happened. Should the gentleman apologize? Yeah, I think he should apologize.” 
 
 Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), one of Gianforte’s closest allies in Montana politics and a former co-worker at his Bozeman company, called his actions “unacceptable” and agreed that he should apologize. Quist, meanwhile, told reporters Thursday that the scuffle was a “matter for law enforcement” and declined to comment further. 
 
 [Gianforte has history of controversial views, hostile comments to journalists] 
 
 Wednesday’s incident took place after nearly four weeks of voting in a special election to replace Ryan Zinke (R), who became Trump’s interior secretary in March. By Thursday, more than 200,000 of 700,000 eligible voters had cast early absentee ballots. 
 
 In interviews at Quist’s final rally, at a Missoula microbrewery, voters were skeptical that the attack could change the race. Gianforte entered the contest with high negative ratings and an image as a hard-charging bully who had joked about outnumbering a reporter at a town hall meeting and sued to keep people from fishing on public land near his home. 
 
 “Greg thinks he’s Donald Trump,” said Brent Morrow, 60. “He thinks he could shoot a guy on Fifth Avenue and get away with it.” 
 
 Gianforte and the allied super PACs had deflected attention from his low approval numbers with ads attacking Quist over unpaid taxes and gaffes about gun rights and military spending. To the extent the assault charge hurt — a GOP-aligned poll found 93 percent of voters aware of it — Republicans thought it denied them another day of attention on Quist. 
 
 For 24 hours, the assault charge was the biggest political story in Montana. The Billings Gazette, which serves Montana’s largest city, told readers that it had made a “poor choice” by ignoring “questionable interactions” the candidate has had with reporters in the past. Two other major newspapers also pulled their Gianforte endorsements, with the Missoulian suggesting that the Republican should bow out of public life. 
 
 As word spread of the alleged assault in Bozeman, some supporters who had been knocking on doors for Quist began playing voters the audio clip. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has invested more than $500,000 in the race, called for Gianforte to quit the race and released a last-minute radio ad featuring Jacobs’s audio of the incident. 
 
 In the recording, Jacobs could be heard asking Gianforte to respond to the newly released Congressional Budget Office score of House Republicans’ AHCA, a bill Gianforte had said he was glad to see the House approve. 
 
 After Gianforte told Jacobs to direct the question to his spokesman, there was the sound of an altercation, and a screaming candidate. 
 
 “I’m sick and tired of you guys!” Gianforte said. “The last guy that came in here did the same thing. Get the hell out of here! Get the hell out of here! The last guy did the same thing. Are you with the Guardian?” 
 
 [Analysis: Gianforte is fighting for a House seat. He might be miserable in Congress.] 
 
 Quist surprised both parties by running — and by securing the Democratic nomination. A supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential bid, he told activists he backed Canadian-style single-payer health care, and he waxed to local reporters about whether taxes should be raised on the rich, whether military spending should be slashed and whether assault weapon owners should register their guns. 
 
 In the first months of the race, Quist raised just $900,000 and appeared to be written off by Washington Democrats. Republicans attempted to define the candidate before he could go on the air, with the opposition research group America Rising paying a tracker to follow Quist, and the Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC hiring a researcher to dig up damaging stories about the musician-turned-politician’s tax problems. More than $5 million was spent by outside groups against Quist; Democrats responded with less than $1 million in positive spots. 
 
 “We knew that because Rob Quist was an unknown quantity with voters, we had the ability to define him negatively out of the gates,” said America Rising chief executive Colin Reed. 
 
 But after the March failure of the first version of the AHCA, Quist’s fundraising surged, adding up to more than $5 million by the final pre-election report — outmatching Gianforte, whom Republicans had hoped would self-fund his campaign. 
 
 The AHCA, the Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act, had become the dominant issue in the campaign. In the closing days of the race, Quist focused his events and TV ads on his opposition to the Republican bill and brought in Sanders (I-Vt.) to help promote his position on U.S. health care: universal coverage. 
 
 The Republican struggled to talk about the AHCA. In public, he said that he would wait to weigh in on the legislation until the CBO score was released and assured him that protections for people with preexisting medical conditions wouldn’t be scrapped. On a call with donors that was leaked to newspapers including The Washington Post, the Republican said he was “thankful” for the House’s vote that moved the bill forward. 
 
 At campaign stops and on TV, the soft-spoken Quist either rebutted Republican attack ads or attacked the GOP’s health-care bill, hitting Gianforte especially hard on the donor call remarks. 
 
 “Greg Gianforte says he’s thankful for the new health-care bill, the one that eliminates protections for preexisting conditions and raises premiums on every Montanan who has one, because he gets a big tax break at our expense,” Quist said in his closing spot. 
 
 Until Wednesday, Democrats worried that a loss would bolster Republican confidence to move ahead with the health care bill. But Gianforte’s triumph over the assault charges gave the winners another reason to cheer — a victory over what the president calls “fake news.” 
 
 In Missoula, where Quist rallied with his voters, Democrats looked for the bright side. Matt McKenna, an adviser to the campaign and a longtime Montana politics insider, noted the ugly tenor of the race, starting with anti-Quist ads the first day of the campaign. 
 
 “This is the first day of the end of Greg Gianforte’s political career,” McKenna said. “It may seem like he got away with this because so many people already voted, but they will deny him the prize he really wants which is the governor’s office. He could go to jail. He still has to be arraigned.” 
 
 Viebeck reported from Washington. Ed O’Keefe and Sean Sullivan in Washington and Kathleen McLaughlin in Missoula contributed to this report. 
 
 Read more at PowerPos
– "Any guy that can do a body-slam, he's my guy," President Trump shouted to a cheering Montana audience Thursday night as he simulated slamming someone to the ground, then noting, "I shouldn't say that." Trump was discussing Rep. Greg Gianforte, who assaulted Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs last year during the special election for the House seat vacated by Ryan Zinke, a misdemeanor assault to which he pleaded guilty and completed community service and an anger management class. Trump said after the incident, he feared Gianforte had blown his chance at the congressional seat. "I said, 'Oh, this is terrible, he's gonna lose the election,'" Trump recounted. "Then I said, 'Well, wait a minute—I know Montana pretty well. I think it might help him.' And it did." Trump was in Big Sky Country stumping for Matt Rosendale in his race for Democrat Jon Tester's Senate seat. Reaction came quickly: John Mulholland, US editor of the Guardian, put out a statement after the rally blasting Trump's words as "an attack on the First Amendment," asking for an apology and adding, "In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world." ABC News reports on what the Toronto Star's Daniel Dale calls the "most significant" and "truly horrible" moment in the rally: "The president is gleefully applauding violence against a journalist." Trump also praised Gianforte as "smart" and then advised the crowd to "never wrestle him." (Trump seems to acknowledge Khashoggi is dead.)