U.S. Rep. Trent Franks has weighed in on a bizarre attack on a reporter Wednesday by a Republican candidate for Congress in Montana.

Franks, R-Ariz., told MSNBC that liberals must share the blame: “The left has precipitated this tense, confrontational approach throughout the country in recent months,” Franks said Thursday.

Greg Gianforte, the GOP nominee in the election to fill Montana’s vacant House seat, has been charged with misdemeanor assault for pushing Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs to the ground, breaking his glasses and punching him. Audio of the attack is here.

Jacobs had asked Gianforte to comment on health care after the Congressional Budget Office issued its evaluation of the pending GOP health care bill.

Gianforte had previously declined to discuss the bill, saying he wanted to know how the CBO viewed its impact.

According to a reporter for Fox News, who was preparing to interview Gianforte, Jacobs did not provoke the attack.

“To be clear, at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte, who left the area after giving statements to local sheriff's deputies,” said Alicia Acuna in an online post for Fox News.

The special election in Montana is today.

Franks also decried the use of force in his comments.

“I reject any kind of thing where we use physical violence in a situation like that. It should not have happened and the law will have to be the ultimate arbiter.”

Josselyn Berry, executive director of ProgressNow Arizona, a liberal advocacy group, said Franks' comments made Gianforte's actions worse.

“This is an appalling response from Congressman Franks on what should never be acceptable in this country," she said. "Congressman Franks should be ashamed of himself for making this a partisan issue, when all Americans, regardless of party, should defend our right to a free press,” Berry said.

Montana’s three largest newspapers have withdrawn their endorsements for Gianforte, which you can read here, here and here.

Others in Washington were also weighing in.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., called on Gianforte to apologize.

Gianforte’s Democratic opponent, Rob Quist had no immediate reaction to the incident, noting he wasn’t there. National Democrats, however, responded with a last-minute ad on the attack.