Republican Greg Gianforte to plead guilty, ensuring he’ll be a convicted criminal before taking office

| 9:41 pm EDT June 10, 2017
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The Democratic Party really wanted to pull off a long shot victory in last month’s congressional special election in Montana, but it ended up getting a different kind of victory instead: an albatross it can hang around the Republican Party’s neck for the rest of this congressional term and the midterm races. And that albatross is about to officially become a convicted criminal.

Republican Greg Gianforte, who somehow won the Montana special election despite having body slammed a reporter the night before the election, has agreed to plead guilty to assault according to the Washington Post (link). The whole thing should be official within the week.

It’s not yet been revealed what Gianforte’s sentence will be. His crime comes with a possible six month jail sentence, but as a first time offender, he may be in line for a simple fine instead. But at best this means Gianforte will enter the House of Representatives as a violent convicted criminal, making for a terrible spectacle for the GOP. And at worst, he might have to wait until his jail term is finished before he can join the House.

This comes as Congressional Republicans are increasingly unsure of how to deal with the growing backlash against Donald Trump and his exploding scandals. So now, in addition to those troubles, the Republican Party will get to deal with the Greg Gianforte headache. The newest House Republican will either arrive fresh off having pled guilty to a violent crime, or he won’t be able to arrive because he’ll be in prison. This hands the Democratic Party a nearly perfectly symbolic wedge with which to use against a GOP that’s already reeling from the damage that Trump is doing to his party. If you’re a regular reader, feel free to support Palmer Report. Follow Palmer Report on Facebook and Twitter.

Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.