Former Michigan Rep. John Dingell (D) ripped GOP congressional candidate Greg Gianforte on Wednesday following reports that he had "body slammed" a reporter, saying that he went 60 years in Congress without doing just that.

"Hell, I spent 60 years in Congress without bodyslamming a single reporter," Dingell tweeted Wednesday night. "This guy in Montana won't last long if he manages to win."

Dingell also tweeted "Lock him up," and joked that the incident was the "only substantive GOP response to questions about the [Congressional Budget Office] CBO score," he'd seen Wednesday.

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Hell, I spent 60 years in Congress without bodyslamming a single reporter.



This guy in Montana won't last long if he manages to win. — John Dingell (@JohnDingell) May 25, 2017

All of these things having been said, that body slam is the only substantive GOP response to questions about the CBO score I've seen today. — John Dingell (@JohnDingell) May 25, 2017

He could be the newest GOP member, giving great big speeches on topics he doesn't understand before he even knows where the restrooms are. — John Dingell (@JohnDingell) May 25, 2017

If you think he sounds like an unsavory fellow, the 250 idiots just like him in Congress have voted to take health care away from millions. — John Dingell (@JohnDingell) May 25, 2017

Dingell's tweets came after The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said he had been "body slammed" by Gianforte while trying to ask him questions about the CBO's report today on the Republican healthcare bill.

Gianforte is running against Democrat Rob Quist to fill the seat vacated by Ryan Zinke when he became head of the Interior Department. The reporter's claims come a day before the election.

A spokesman for Gianforte said in a statement that Jacobs "entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face and began asking badgering questions."

"Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. Jacobs grabbed Greg's wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground. It's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ," the statement said.

Audio of the interaction, however, appears to contradict the spokesman's statement.