Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte refuses to sit down with the reporter he assaulted the night before his election.
Ben Jacobs, the Guardian reporter Gianforte body-slammed, said that after two months of reaching out to his spokesperson, the congressman has refused to give a promised interview.
“Gianforte continues his pattern of avoiding responsibility for his actions and refusing to live up to the statements made in what I had thought was a sincere apology,” Jacobs said in a statement he posted on Twitter on Tuesday.
Travis Hall, Gianforte’s communications director, said in an email Wednesday, “I have repeatedly offered time for Mr. Jacobs to sit down with Congressman Gianforte in keeping with the congressman’s ongoing offer.”
Greg Gianforte is refusing to sit down with me. This is what I sent to his spokesman after two months of going back and forth pic.twitter.com/uPKnn7HBEo
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) August 30, 2017
Jacobs said he is trying to make something positive come out of the incident, hoping to promote civil discourse and freedom of the press.
“Otherwise, should we meet in the halls of the Capitol, I hope I can approach him without fear of physical assault,” the statement read.
Gianforte, a Republican, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge and received 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of anger management.
He was sworn into Congress on June 21, less than a month after the incident.
Gianforte promised to donate $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Jacobs’ glasses, which were broken in the incident, are set to be donated to the Newseum.
