The Montana Republican charged with assaulting Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs has apologized and promised to donate $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In a letter, Rep-elect Greg Gianforte said, “My physical response to your legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable, and unlawful.”
Letter to Guardian Reporter Ben Jacobs from Rep-elect Gianforte. Jacobs says he “accepted” the apology pic.twitter.com/OSCbzWKzIZ
— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) June 8, 2017
Gianforte was cited for misdemeanor assault after the incident. He won the May 25 special election against Democrat Rob Quist.
In a statement, Jacobs said he accepted Gianforte’s apology and hopes the incident leads to a continued dialogue and draws attention to the importance of the First Amendment and freedom of the press.
In the incident, Jacobs said Gianforte “body-slammed” him and broke his glasses. Last week, the Newseum announced the broken glasses would be donated to the museum.
