Body-slammed reporter says he's 'increasingly convinced' of Greg Gianforte's 'true character'
In a letter that Jacobs said was sent to Gianforte's spokesman "after two months of going back and forth," Jacobs outlined several grievances he had with Gianforte's conduct following the ordeal.
"I hoped to use this incident as a positive opportunity to promote civil discourse as well as the importance of freedom of the press," Jacobs wrote. "To that end, I forgave Congressman Gianforte for his unprovoked attack and his slanderous statement afterwards in hopes that this behavior was an aberration. Instead, I have become increasingly convinced that those actions were a display of his true character."
"He has refused to explain why he slandered me, he unsuccessfully tried to avoid pleading guilty to a physical attack against me and he also unsuccessfully fought a legal battle to avoid the mild inconvenience of having a mugshot taken," Jacobs wrote.
Gianforte pleaded guilty to assaulting Jacobs as the reporter asked him questions in May, during Montana's special election race, and is scheduled to work off his sentence by performing 40 hours of community service. Following the discovery of an audio recording taken during the incident, Gianforte apologized and promised to donate $50,000 to the independent nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists.
"My physical response to your legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable, and unlawful," Gianforte's letter to Jacobs read at the time. "As both a candidate for office and a public official, I should be held to a high standard in my interactions with the press and the public. My treatment of you did not meet that standard."
Gianforte was elected to the US House of Representatives one day after the incident.