GREAT FALLS, MONT - A political reporter for the Guardian was allegedly assaulted by Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate in the Montana U.S. House race, Wednesday evening in Bozeman, the reporter announced via Twitter.

"Greg Gianforte just body slammed me and broke my glasses," Ben Jacobs wrote on Twitter.

"There was a local TV crew there when Gianforte body slammed me."

Wednesday's incident comes just one day before the special election in which Gianforte is running against Democratic candidate Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks. Polls thus far have shown Gianforte with a single-digit lead over Quist.

The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office has not yet returned called made by the Tribune for comment.

Whitney Bermes, reporter for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle confirmed via Twitter that the sheriff's office and medics were on scene.

"I'm sick and tired of you guys. The last time you were here you did the same thing," Gianforte is allegedly heard on audio posted by the Guardian. </s> Democrats wasted no time using Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte's alleged takedown of a journalist.

On Thursday morning, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee turned out targeted at Montana voters using a recording of Gianforte allegedly assaulting a political reporter the night before.

The ad dropped about 9 a.m., just hours after Gianforte was cited for misdemeanor assault for his reported "body slam" of Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs.

The ad starts with a banner headline of, "Must listen: Greg Gianforte violently assaults reporter," along with the onscreen instruction to "turn up your volume."

Under the graphics plays the sound of Gianforte allegedly roughing up Jacobs at a campaign volunteer BBQ. Jacobs claims Gianforte "body slammed" him and broke his glasses.

"This is the sound of Republican Congressional candidate Greg Gianforte violently assaulting a journalist," reads the text. "He body slammed him. The election is right now. Go. Vote. Against. Him. Vote for Rob Quist."

News of the altercation spread nationwide Wednesday night, casting more light on a Montana special election seen as an early test of Democratic efforts to unseat Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections. Polls show Gianforte has a single-digit lead over Democratic challenger Rob Quist in the Thursday contest. The winner fills the seat vacated by Ryan Zinke, now the Interior secretary.

Overnight, Gianforte lost two newspaper endorsements because of the incident, which was condemned by The Guardian.

The DCCC, the campaign arm for House Democrats, paid for the ad. The group also called on Gianforte to drop out of the race.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, a political committee for House Republicans, didn't immediately offer a response to the incident. Quist's campaign also chose not to comment.

In a statement, the Gianforte campaign said Jacobs first laid hands on the candidate after he "aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face, and began asking badgering questions."

"Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face," the statement said. "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."

Gianforte had agreed to an interview Thursday evening on MSNBC's Meet the Press Daily. He has since canceled the appearance. </s> Montana voters are at the polls as the aftermath of an altercation between the Republican congressional candidate and a reporter unfolds.

Nominee Greg Gianforte was charged Wednesday evening with misdemeanor assault against Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian. The incident has drawn extra attention to the race to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, considered a bellwether, in its final hours.

It's unclear how much the turn of events will impact the outcome of the contest between Gianforte and Democratic nominee Rob Quist, especially after many voters had cast their ballots early. House Speaker Paul Ryan has said Gianforte should apologize, while other Republican lawmakers have called the incident "out of character."

Health care has been a key topic in the race — and was in fact the subject of Jacobs' question when his exchange with Gianforte turned violence. According to audio provided by Jacobs, he asks Gianforte for his reaction to the Congressional Budget Office's report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte had said previously he didn't want to weigh in on the Republican health care bill until he saw the CBO score.

But Gianforte brushed Jacobs off and then suddenly "body-slammed" him onto the ground, breaking his glasses, Jacobs says. According to three Fox News reporters who were in the room preparing for an interview with the GOP nominee, Gianforte "grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground ... 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!' "

The tape backs up that account, but Gianforte's campaign claimed it was Jacobs who was the aggressor, pushing a tape recorder in Gianforte's face and then "grabbed Greg's wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground."

The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office announced late Wednesday it was charging Gianforte with misdemeanor assault, which carries a possible maximum fine of $500 or up to six months in jail if convicted. Gianforte has been ordered to appear in court by June 7.

At a news conference on Thursday, Sheriff Brian Gootkin said Gianforte cooperated by giving an initial statement at the scene. Reporters asked why Gianforte had not been detained, and the sheriff said his deputies "got busy with the witnesses and the victim," and Gianforte left. He was not in custody or under arrest at the time. The sheriff says the department has been contacted by attorneys on the candidate's behalf, and law enforcement has not had a followup interview with him.

Gootkin also disclosed that he had contributed to Gianforte's campaign, but said it "has nothing to do" with the investigation or his role as sheriff. He would not answer questions about why he contributed or whether he regularly donates to campaigns, saying that "doesn't have anything to do with the incident."

House Speaker Ryan said at his weekly press conference that Gianforte should apologize.

"I do not think this is acceptable behavior, but the choice will be made by the people of Montana," Ryan said Thursday.

A statement from National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Steve Stivers, who oversees the House GOP's campaign arm, didn't go as far as Ryan.

"From what I know of Greg Gianforte, this was totally out of character, but we all make mistakes. We need to let the facts surrounding this incident unfold," the Ohio congressman said. "Today's special election is bigger than any one person; it's about the views of all Montanans. They deserve to have their voices heard in Washington."

Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines, who used to work for Gianforte's software company, told NBC News's Peter Alexander, "I've known Greg for 20 years. I was very surprised last night. I don't condone violence of any kind. I've got confidence in my local law enforcement back home to investigate the matter."

"I think Greg should apologize," Daines continued. "That's warranted. And we'll let the people of Montana decide what happens tonight."

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who's up for re-election in 2018 in what's expected to be a highly competitive race, said in a statement that the incident was now "in the hands of law enforcement. But part of the job representing the people of Montana is answering basic questions on important topics, topics such as how a dangerous healthcare plan could impact the very people you are trying to represent. It's part of the job."

Gianforte, a wealthy software executive, lost to Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock last year by about 4 points, even as President Trump rolled to a 20 point win in the state.

And while Gianforte was hesitant to embrace then-candidate Trump during that contest, he's been closely embracing the president this go-around, co-opting his familiar "drain the swamp" phrase and pledging to go to Washington to work with the president. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., has hit the trail twice for Gianforte, and Vice President Pence also made a recent campaign stop on his behalf.

Quist, a Stetson-wearing folk singer who's well known across the state for his music, has tried to ride the rising opposition to Trump to an upset. He hasn't made the president his central campaign pitch, and hasn't tried to capitalize on the scandals engulfing his administration in recent days, but has made his opposition to the health care bill a key point in the campaign's final stretch.

Republicans have hammered Quist with almost $5 million in ads, hitting him for property tax liens and unpaid debts. But Quist has shot back that his financial struggles stemmed from a botched gallbladder surgery over two decades ago, giving him a way to sympathize with people also struggling to afford health insurance and pay their medical bills.

Private GOP polls showed a close race earlier this week, with Gianforte believed to have a slim single-digit lead. But with the heavy volume of absentee ballots already returned, it's unclear how — or if — the recent charges against Gianforte will alter an already close race. And, given conservative opposition to the media, Gianforte's actions might actually win him some supporters, too. </s> Republican nominee Greg Gianforte is being accused of a physical altercation with a reporter on the eve a surprisingly tight race in the special election for Montana’s at-large congressional district.

Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian, posted what would be considered a pair of fairly unusual tweets to see in the world of U.S. political journalism. You know, because the term “body slammed” makes an appearance. (If memory serves, Jesse Ventura’s gubernatorial career was largely body slam free.) </s> The candidate for Montana’s congressional seat has been charged with assault after he allegedly slammed a reporter to the floor while shouting “get the hell out of here”.

In a bizarre series of events Greg Gianforte, a wealthy software entrepreneur, erupted under questioning and attacked the Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs.

Sheriff Brian Gootkin said in a statement: “Greg Gianforte just body slammed me and broke my glasses, Jacobs tweeted, as he reported the incident—witnessed by three Fox News journalists—to police.

“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 misdemeanour assault.” </s> The Republican candidate for the vacant Montana House of Representatives seat, Greg Gianforte, allegedly assaulted Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs at a campaign event Wednesday night. Jacobs described the situation on Twitter:

Buzzfeed News reporter Alexis Levinson was directly outside the room in question, and she described "angry yelling" and a "giant crash." The Guardian posted audio of the encounter, where Gianforte can be heard shouting angrily, "I'm sick and tired of you guys:"

Gianforte's campaign put out a response accusing Jacobs of having "grabbed Greg's wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground." This account is rather divergent from the recorded one, not least because it says Gianforte asked Jacobs to lower his recorder and he refused, which cannot be heard at all.

Jacobs wrote an article detailing Gianforte's ties to sanctioned Russian companies last month. The election is tomorrow. Ryan Cooper </s> Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate in Montana’s special congressional election, has been charged with misdemeanor assault after he allegedly body slammed a reporter and broke his glasses on Wednesday night.

The altercation took place at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, the night before the state’s special election. It sent political shock waves rippling through the race, with two local newspapers rescinding their support for the GOP candidate.

Ben Jacobs, a political reporter for the Guardian, said he had been asking Gianforte about the Republican healthcare plan when the candidate “body slammed” him and began shouting, “Get the hell out of here.”

“He took me to the ground,” Jacobs told his paper. “This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me in reporting on politics.”

The audio file provided by Jacobs backs up his account of the incident and so did accounts by other journalists who witnessed the incident.

Gianforte received a citation on Wednesday night and is scheduled to appear in Gallatin County Justice Court between now and June 7, according to County Sheriff Brian Gootkin.

The nature of Jacobs’ injuries didn’t meet the statutory requirements for a felony assault charge, Gootkin said in a statement.

Before the charge was announced, Gianforte’s campaign blamed the altercation on Jacobs’ “aggressive behavior,” and offered a version of events at odds with the audio recording and witnesses.

“Tonight, as Greg was giving a separate interview in a private office, The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg’s face, and began asking badgering questions,” the campaign said. “Jacobs was asked to leave. 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.”

Fox News: Reporter didn’t show physical aggression

Late Wednesday, Fox News correspondent Alicia Acuna reported that she and her crew witnessed the incident and saw Gianforte grab Jacobs “by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him.”

“To be clear, at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte,” Acuna wrote.

Jacobs was transferred to the Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital where he underwent x-rays on his elbow, according to his account of the story.

Sheriff Gootkin said four witnesses are being interviewed, in addition to Jacobs, in relation to the incident. He said authorities are not releasing the identities of the other witnesses at this time.

A filing from the Federal Election Commission indicates Gootkin donated $250 to Gianforte’s campaign in March. Gootkin confirmed the donation, but said it had no bearing on the investigation into Wednesday night’s altercation.

Newspapers yank endorsements

Gianforte suffered fallout from the incident when three local newspapers — the Missoulian, the Billings Gazette and the Independent Record — rescinded their endorsements of the GOP candidate.

“The Republican candidate for Congress not only lost the endorsement of this newspaper Wednesday night when, according to witnesses, he put his hands around the throat of a reporter asking him about his health care stance, threw him to the ground and punched him — he should lose the confidence of all Montanans,” the Missoulian said in an editorial.

The paper went on to say Gianforte “lacks the experience, brains and abilities to effectively represent Montana in any elected office.”

The Billings Gazette said it was “at a loss for words.”

“If what was heard on tape and described by eye-witnesses is accurate, the incident in Bozeman is nothing short of assault,” the newspaper wrote. “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.”

The Independent Record, which is based in Helena, Montana, said it would not condone this kind of violence.

“While we may not know all of the specifics of the incident until the investigation has concluded, we know that we can no longer support Gianforte’s candidacy,” it said.

Will it affect the election?

Supporters of Democratic candidate Rob Quist outside an event at a brewery in Missoula were in disagreement about how much effect the Gianforte incident would have on the race.

“It’s close, I think, and this could definitely make a difference,” said Charley Carpenter, a Missoula resident. “It should make a difference.”

Todd Mowbrey, 67, interjected that it wouldn’t make any difference for diehard Republican voters.

In Montana, any resident can vote absentee leading to questions about how much of an impact the late incident will have on the results. Both Republicans and Democrats expect that 7 in 10 voters will have already voted before the polls open tomorrow.

Quist himself said it was not his place to comment, and that he was just focused on the issues that are facing the people of Montana.

Kate Gadbow, who supports Quist, said that she was alarmed by the alleged events, noting that it is “an indication of how he would act under pressure.”

She said “the last thing we need is one more guy who flies off the handle.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a statement following the incident that Gianforte should “immediately withdraw his candidacy after his alleged violent assault of an innocent journalist.” It also called for House Speaker Paul Ryan to National Republican Campaign Committee to denounce the candidate and apologize.

Gianforte, an engineer and businessman, is running against Quist for the state’s lone congressional seat, which was vacated by Republican Ryan Zinke upon his appointment to United States Secretary of the Interior.

Late last month, Jacobs reported that Gianforte had nearly $250,000 in shares in two index funds that had investments in Russian companies which were under U.S. sanctions. The Guardian reported that a Gianforte spokesman said the candidate did not oversee his portfolio daily, but looked at its “overall performance.” </s> The Republican candidate in Montana’s special congressional election allegedly body slammed a reporter and broke his glasses on Wednesday night, according to an audio recording of the event and eyewitness accounts.

The altercation, which took place at Greg Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, took place the night before the state’s special election.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office said it was conducting an ongoing investigation into “allegations of an assault involving Greg Gianforte,” but didn’t provide further details.

Ben Jacobs, a political reporter for the Guardian, said he had been asking Gianforte about the Republican healthcare plan when the candidate “body slammed” him and began shouting, “Get the hell out of here.”

“He took me to the ground,” Jacobs told his paper. “This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me in reporting on politics.”

The audio file provided by Jacobs backs up his account of the incident.

However, Gianforte’s campaign blamed the altercation on Jacobs’ “aggressive behavior,” and offered a version of events at odds with the audio recording.

“Tonight, as Greg was giving a separate interview in a private office, The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg’s face, and began asking badgering questions,” the campaign said. “Jacobs was asked to leave. 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.”

Jacobs was transferred to the Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital where he underwent x-rays on his elbow, according to his account of the story.

Supporters of Democratic candidate Rob Quist outside an event at a brewery in Missoula were in disagreement about how much effect the Gianforte incident would have on the race.

“It’s close, I think, and this could definitely make a difference,” said Charley Carpenter, a Missoula resident. “It should make a difference.”

Todd Mowbrey, 67, interjected that it wouldn’t make any difference for diehard Republican voters.

In Montana, any resident can vote absentee leading to questions about how much of an impact the late incident will have on the results.

Quist himself said it was not his place to comment, and that he was just focused on the issues that are facing the people of Montana.

Gianforte, an engineer and businessman, is running against Quist for the state’s lone congressional seat, which was vacated by Republican Ryan Zinke upon his appointment to United States Secretary of the Interior.

Late last month, Jacobs reported that Gianforte had nearly $250,000 in shares in two index funds that had investments in Russian companies which were under U.S. sanctions. </s> The Republican candidate in Montana's special congressional election allegedly body slammed a reporter and broke his glasses on Wednesday night, according to an audio recording of the event and eyewitness accounts.

The altercation, which took place at Greg Gianforte's campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, took place the night before the state's special election.

The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office said it was conducting an ongoing investigation into "allegations of an assault involving Greg Gianforte," but didn't provide further details.

Ben Jacobs, a political reporter for the Guardian, said he had been asking Gianforte about the Republican healthcare plan when the candidate "body slammed" him and began shouting, "Get the hell out of here."

"He took me to the ground," Jacobs told his paper. "This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me in reporting on politics."

The audio file provided by Jacobs backs up his account of the incident.

However, Gianforte's campaign blamed the altercation on Jacobs' "aggressive behavior," and offered a version of events at odds with the audio recording.

"Tonight, as Greg was giving a separate interview in a private office, The Guardian's Ben Jacobs entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face, and began asking badgering questions," the campaign said. "Jacobs was asked to leave. 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."

Jacobs was transferred to the Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital where he underwent x-rays on his elbow, according to his account of the story.

Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin said four witnesses are being interviewed, in addition to Jacobs, in relation to the incident.

Gootkin said he wasn't sure of Gianforte's whereabouts. He said authorities are not releasing the identities of the other witnesses at this time.

The sheriff said detectives has been called in to investigate.

Gianforte's attorney, though not Gianforte himself, has been in contact with the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, Gootkin said. The sheriff declined to elaborate on the conversation.

"If there is an assault then, yes, of course [bodyslamming] is a crime," Gootkin said. However, the sheriff said an investigation has to take place to get a clear picture of the incident.

"You can run into a million different type of situations where there's two sides to every story and if someone may have pushed someone or something like that, that is why law enforcement has to have as much evidence as possible before deciding to pull the county attorney in and request charges," Gootkin said.

Supporters of Democratic candidate Rob Quist outside an event at a brewery in Missoula were in disagreement about how much effect the Gianforte incident would have on the race.

"It's close, I think, and this could definitely make a difference," said Charley Carpenter, a Missoula resident. "It should make a difference."

Todd Mowbrey, 67, interjected that it wouldn't make any difference for diehard Republican voters.

In Montana, any resident can vote absentee leading to questions about how much of an impact the late incident will have on the results. Both Republicans and Democrats expect that 7 in 10 voters will have already voted before the polls open tomorrow.

Quist himself said it was not his place to comment, and that he was just focused on the issues that are facing the people of Montana.

Kate Gadbow, who supports Quist, said that she was alarmed by the alleged events, noting that it is "an indication of how he would act under pressure."

She said "the last thing we need is one more guy who flies off the handle."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a statement following the incident that Gianforte should "immediately withdraw his candidacy after his alleged violent assault of an innocent journalist." It also called for House Speaker Paul Ryan to National Republican Campaign Committee to denounce the candidate and apologize.

Gianforte, an engineer and businessman, is running against Quist for the state's lone congressional seat, which was vacated by Republican Ryan Zinke upon his appointment to United States Secretary of the Interior.

Late last month, Jacobs reported that Gianforte had nearly $250,000 in shares in two index funds that had investments in Russian companies which were under U.S. sanctions.

- Lauren Fox and David Chalian contributed to this report
Republican Greg Gianforte bodyslams a reporter from The Guardian who then reports the situation to police. Gianforte is running against Democrat Rob Quist.