A day after a Montana Republican running for the House was accused of assaulting a news reporter and cited for assault, Rep. Duncan Hunter said the candidate was in the wrong unless the reporter had it coming.

“It’s not appropriate behavior. Unless the reporter deserved it,” Hunter, R-Alpine, told the Associated Press on Thursday.

Hunter’s chief of staff later said that the congressman didn’t know too much about the incident, and “takes no position on the reporter or the candidate.” He hadn’t read beyond the headline when he was questioned by the AP.

“He didn’t even care to read anything more,” Hunter’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, said in an email. “There’s so much more important stuff going on in the world, who even cares. It’s dumb that you’re even writing about this.”


Kasper did not answer questions about under what circumstances a reporter would deserve to be assaulted.

On Wednesday, Greg Gianforte, a San Diego-born Republican running in a special election for Montana’s one House seat, was charged with misdemeanor assault. Ben Jacobs, a reporter with British news outlet The Guardian, said the candidate “body slammed” him and broke his glasses after he asked him about health care in a room off a campaign event.

Gianforte’s campaign said Jacobs shoved a recording device in front of the candidate, was being aggressive and “began asking badgering questions.” But multiple witness accounts — including one from a Fox News crew — and an audio recording of the altercation gave accounts that disagreed with the politician’s.

Hunter’s statement puts him in conflict with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who said that assault is wrong in all circumstances.


“There is no time when a physical altercations should occur with the press and just between human beings. So that is wrong and it just should not have happened,” Ryan said.

If convicted Gianforte could be fined as much as $500 or be imprisoned for as long as 6 months.

Early voting had already begun in Montana and polls opened on Thursday to determine who will represent the entire state in the House of Representatives after Ryan Zinke left office to serve as secretary of the interior.

Gianforte is running against Democrat Rob Quist.


Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com


(619) 293-1841