Body-slammed reporter says he's 'increasingly convinced' of Greg Gianforte's 'true character'

Ben Jacobs, the Guardian reporter who was body-slammed by then-Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte, has accused Gianforte of backing out of a promise to grant him an on-the-record interview, Jacobs said in a statement published Tuesday night.

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.

Read Jacobs' entire statement:

From the beginning, I have tried to turn Congressman Gianforte's assault against me into something positive. I have not profited off a lawsuit or taken advantage of the attention that has been thrust upon me. Instead, I hoped to use this incident as a positive opportunity to promote civil discourse as well as the importance of freedom of the press. 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.

In refusing to do the promised on-the-record interview with me, Congressman 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. 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. I can at least take some minor consolation that in the past two months, his efforts to avoid answering any questions from me have been non-violent.

I will continue to strive to turn this incident into something positive. Civil discourse and press freedoms are non-partisan issues and should form the basic foundation of our political system and society. I regret that Congressman Gianforte doesn't appear to share those values. When the Congressman is ready to schedule an on-the-record interview with me, I welcome hearing from him. Otherwise, should we meet in the halls of the Capitol, I hope I can approach him without fear of physical assault.