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Sinclair VP Donated to Congressional Candidate After ‘Body-Slam’ Incident

Jun 28, 2017  •  Post A Comment

One day after a congressional candidate was charged with assault in a notorious incident in which he “body-slammed” a reporter, Frederick G. Smith, the VP and director of Sinclair Broadcasting Group, made a donation to the campaign of the candidate, Montana Republican Greg Gianforte, Politico reports.

“On May 24, Gianforte assaulted Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs as Jacobs attempted to ask Gianforte a question about the healthcare bill, breaking Jacobs’ glasses and sending him to the hospital for X-rays,” the story reports. “Though Gianforte’s campaign initially decried Jacobs as a ‘liberal’ reporter and placed some of the blame on him, Gianforte eventually apologized, pleaded guilty to the assault, and donated $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists as part of an agreement under which Jacobs did not pursue a civil case. Gianforte was sentenced to community service and anger management classes, while being assessed a $385 fine.”

Smith’s $1,000 donation came on May 25, the day after the incident and the day Gianforte was elected, the story reports, citing Federal Election Commission reports. Smith also gave $1,000 to Gianforte’s campaign in March.

“Gianforte’s campaign received a flood of new donations the day after the incident, raising about $118,000 on May 25, more than double the amount he raised the day before,” the report notes.

3 Comments

  1. You know that if a democratic candidate was the one doing the body-slamming, Fox and other right-wing outlets would still be screaming their fool heads off. I have been in some of the world’s most frightening hotspots where journalists were regularly targeted by militia and government forces. I expect those serving the people here in the U.S. to act in a more civilized manner. Violence is never acceptable.

  2. I’m sure there are many who see this guy as a hero. I think a guy who loses his cool to this degree, under anything short of life-or-death circumstances, isn’t fit to represent people. Even if his “politics” are sound, his comportment and character are not and that used to matter. It used to matter not too long ago; I’m not that old.

  3. Remember this next time Sinclair says “we don’t lean to the right.”

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