WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Congressman Greg Gianforte pleaded guilty on Monday to assaulting a journalist who worked for The Guardian, the UK-based news outlet reported.
Gianforte attacked reporter Ben Jacobs after he asked him a question about a healthcare bill at a campaign event in the US state of Montana about 24 hours before polls closed on May 24, the report stated.
The report noted that Giantfore and Jacobs reached a civil settlement last week, which included a donation of $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Gianforte, a millionaire high-tech businessman, won a seat in the US House of Representative, which was vacant when Ryan Zinke was nominated and confirmed as Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
