GOP lawmaker who assaulted reporter to lead workshop on communications

Rep. Greg Gianforte (R), the Montana lawmaker who assaulted a journalist during his 2017 special election, is reportedly set to lead a communications workshop for the National Republican Congressional Committee next month.

The Guardian reports Gianforte will lead a session titled “Hire for culture, train for skill.” Attendees at the workshop are typically press aides for GOP lawmakers in both houses of Congress.

{mosads}His biography on the event invitation says Gianforte “retains his passion for helping others achieve professional success” and points out his previous presentations on topics like time management and “bootstrapping,” according to The Guardian.

Gianforte knocked Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs to the ground last year after Jacobs asked the then-congressional candidate a question about health care.

The altercation broke out a day before Montana’s special House election to fill the seat vacated by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Gianforte won the race despite the criminal charges.

He eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and received a sentence of community service, anger management classes and a $385 fine.

Gianforte reportedly told police that Jacobs made physical contact with him first. The account contradicted eyewitness accounts, and, in a letter of apology sent to Jacobs last June, Gianforte acknowledged the reporter didn’t make contact with him.