Montana newspaper rescinds endorsement of “deplorable” Greg Gianforte after he body slams reporter
Republican candidate Greg Gianforte is heading into election day with one less newspaper endorsement than he was counting on. After reporter Ben Jacobs claimed that Gianforte body slammed him during a campaign event last night, and three employees from a competing news outlet corroborated Jacobs’ story, the Billings Gazette has quickly turned against Gianforte.
The GOP candidate for the Montana congressional special election had earned the endorsement of the Billings Gazette, but as of the middle of the night, that endorsement has officially been rescinded. In an editorial board statement which opens with “We’re at a loss for words,” the Gazette asserts that Gianforte’s assault on Jacobs is “shocking, disturbing and without precedent.” The newspaper goes on to officially rescind its endorsement of Gianforte on the eve of the election, which it says it also without precedent.
The damning statement continues: “If what was heard on tape and described by eye-witnesses is accurate, the incident in Bozeman is nothing short of assault. We wouldn’t condone it if it happened on the street. We wouldn’t condone it if it happened in a home or even a late-night bar fight. And we couldn’t accept it from a man who is running to become Montana’s lone Congressional representative. We will not stand by that kind of violence, period.”
Then, as if to underscore the point, the Billings Gazette closes its statement by condemning the actions of Greg Gianforte as “deplorable” – the same word which Hillary Clinton once used to condemn the worst of the Donald Trump supporters. You can read the full statement rescinding the endorsement of Gianforte here. Photo credit: Billings Gazette.
