Journalist Guardian: The lawmaker who mugged me is not a "tough cookie", it's a "coward"

Ben Jacobs, a Guardian journalist, was criticized Friday President TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocrats slide in the battle for the Senate Trump believes that the relationship between Kushner and the Saudi Crown Prince is a handicap: the Palo Alto City Council will honor Christine Blasey Ford PLUS to call Rep. Greg GianforteGregory Richard GianfortePelosi heckled by Miami Republicans and Proud Boys during Durbin to Trump election campaign: "We are the crowd? Give me a break "CNN's Chris Cuomo invites Gianforte to slap him (R-Mont.) A "difficult cookie", saying that Gianforte's actions have made him "a coward".

"A difficult cookie does not attack anyone from anywhere without provocation, for asking a question about health policy," Jacobs told CNN, a day after Trump had applauded the news. assassination of Gianforte the day before the parliamentary elections of 2017.

Trump called the representative Gianforte a "hard biscuit". @BenCJacobs: "A difficult cookie does not attack anyone from anywhere, without provocation, for asking a question about health policy." pic.twitter.com/K3M1G06vgw

– Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 20, 2018

Jacobs also stated that Gianforte had lied about his meeting with him until the legislator realized that there were audio recordings and eyewitnesses to their exchanges.

The Guardian reported in November 2017 that the congressman had initially claimed that Jacobs had made contact with the police, according to a police incident report.

But this claim was contradicted by Fox News reporters who witnessed the incident.

"The police actually asked me later, was there anything about the congressional budget office that could trigger it and then lie about it," he added. "This is not the action of a difficult cookie, it is the action of a coward."

During a rally in Montana on Thursday, Trump touted Gianforte as his "guy," adding that a journalist's physical assault had likely helped GOP lawmakers with Montana voters .

"Never fight him. Never. All the guys who can do a body slam, it's my kind of … it's my guy, "said Trump at Missoula, Mt. "We approved Greg very early, but I heard that he had castigated the body of a reporter. And he was already well behaved … and I said, "Oh, it's terrible, he'll lose the election." But I said, "Well, wait a minute, I know pretty much Montana, I think that could help him, and he did it.

"He's a good guy and a hard cookie," Trump added later.

The comment was widely condemned by the press. The Guardian's US editor reprimanded the president shortly after the rally, saying in a statement that the celebration of a journalist's attack was an attack on the First Amendment.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to an assault charge of aggression in June 2017 for his attack on Jacobs. He was sentenced to a 180-day deferred sentence, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management, a $ 300 fine and $ 85 in court fees.

Despite the assault charges, he won the seat of the great Montana Parliament by 6 points.