Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault, to which he pleaded guilty. He performed community service as required. He also apologized to Jacobs, saying his "physical response to your legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable and unlawful." He also donated $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Marshall told Voices of Montana: “That kid came on private property, came into a private building and went into a very private room that I would not even have gone into. It was a setup. A complete setup. He just pushed a little too hard.”

The event was a picnic, to which several members of statewide media were invited. At the time of the assault, Gianforte was preparing to do an interview with Fox television reporters.

In the radio interview from Thursday, Marshall said she is a friend of Gianforte’s, and also promoted the event of Trevor Loudon, a conservative speaker, who the Gallatin County Republican Women hosted Thursday night.

After Marshall's call to Talk of Montana ended, the show went to a commercial break and Heenan did not respond.

He said Friday that his campaign thought “long and hard” before issuing a press release about the event.