ben jacobs is an experienced, well-known reporter. i'll tell you just in terms of this building lots of people who work here at msnbc and at nbc know him particularly because he did a lot of campaign coverage over the past campaign cycle. in case you haven't heard this audio yet, i just want to play you the audio recording that ben jacobs says he was rolling on his own recorder when this incident happened tonight in montana. this is pretty incredible. listen to this. >> the cbo score because you were waiting to make your decision about health care until you saw the bill and it just came out. >> we will talk to you about that later. >> but just curious -- >> speak with shane, please. i'm sick and tired of you guys -- it the last guy who came in here did the same thing. get the hell out of here. get the hell out of here. the last guy did the same thing. are you with "the guardian"? >> yes, and you broke my glasses. you just body slammed me and broke my glasses. >> get the hell out of here. >> you'd like me to get the hell out of here, i

jacobs then said he wanted the police called.ked at the three of us and repeatedly apologized. at that point i told him and scanl scanlon, who was now present, we needed a moment. she said at no point did she witness jacobs show any form of physical aggression to gianforte after giving statements to county sheriffs. >> the sheriff, by the way, did donate $250 to the gianforte campaign but said it's not material to the investigation. three newspapers have retracted their endorsements of geent forty. state party officials have yet to comment on it. >>> national democrats have called gianforte to exit the race. rob quist, the democratic candidate, first said he thought it was a joke and later said he would leaf it up to law enforcement. >>> the race to replace ryan zinke, now some republicans are grumbling it's closer than it should be. politico reporters democrat rob quist has raised $6 million, including $1 million in the last week alone. spending could reach $18 million for that seat. accord fog npw, that's double than spent on t

jacobs was asked to everyone la. after asking jacobs to lower the recorder, he declined. greg then attempted to grab the phone that was placed in his face. he grabbed his wrist and spun away from greg, pushing them both to the ground. it's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer bbq. that was shane scanlon, spokesperson for montana. we should play you the audio that documents the exchange, and you can decide for yourself whether the account given by the campaign is accurate. so just take a listen to that. >> you know you were waiting to make your decision about health care until you saw the bill, and it just came out. >> we'll talk to you about that later. >> but there's not going to be time. i'm just curious -- >> speak with shane, please. >> i'm sick and tired of you guys. the last guy that came in here, you did the same thing. get the hell out of here. get the hell out of here. the last guy did the same thing. you with the guardian? >> yes, and you just broke my glasses. >> the last guy did the sa

he just tweeted this, jacob.said bringing hundreds of billions of dollars back to the usa from middle east which will mean jobs, jobs sha, jobs so al him to talk about one of his familiar talking points back from home. speaking of back home, jacob, he is traveling back to a number of mounting controversies, including over the russia probe. today "the washington post" reporting that jared kushner, his son-in-law, tried to set up a back channel with russia. "the times" adding the nugget that back channel may have been to discuss syria strategy. now nbc news hasn't independently confirmed this report and the white house hasn't commented, but some of my colleagues did try to press top officials about this during an off-camera briefing earlier today. take a listen to that exchange. >> it's not like he's out of -- he's not involved with what's going on in the united states, he is. but this issue that you're talking to the general about is not one he is spending time with on this trip. >> are you saying no foreign leade

jacob zumoff is a professor of history in jersey city. also a research associate. was published in 2014. he's currently writing a study

jacobs was asked to leave and after asking jacobs to lower the recorder, jacobs declined. greg then attempted to grab that phone that was pushed in his face. jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away from greg, pushing them both to the ground. fox news reporter alicia acuna, who was in the room, described the scene very differently. >> when ben jacobs from the guardian came in with his recorder, placed his recorder right up to him about here, and started asking him questions about the cbo report on the republican health care bill. and you heard what happened from there. i, myself, was standing about two feet from both gianforte and jacobs when this happened. there was a table in between us, but i did see the whole thing when gianforte grabbed him by the neck, both hands, slid him to the side, body slammed him, and then got on top of him and started punching and then yelling at him. >> in the wake of the attack, three montana newspapers rescinded their endorsements of gianforte. the billings gazette stating flatly, we will not stand by that kind of violence, period. when we

jacob, come on, put it down.ecause i knew he was not going to do anything whatsoever. now, if it was another kid that is a batterer, i wouldn't have been nearly as familiar with him. he signed a contract with me that he would behave and he would stay out of trouble and not self-mutilate if you would let him sit in the chairs. >> jacob tells us that episode started when his entire unit was locked down because one offender acted out. >> i don't like being punished. i don't like being in my room. >> how did you find something to wrap around your finger? >> that's not hard. they sew the pillows with different strings. i put the pencil in, cut the string off. >> does it feel good to you at the time when you're doing that? do you like pain? >> no, i can't feel it in my left hand. >> you know the drill with this, right? so you're not going to harm yourself? if so, you're going to let us know, right? >> it just takes off a lot of stress off me because i'm diagnosed stpd. social stress disorder. i'm diagnosed with adhd, b

jacobs was asked to leave. after asking jacobs to lower the recorder, jacobs declined.to grab the phone that was pushed in

we were the people who you could hear ben jacobs ask can i get your names? we were setting up to do an interview and arrived early to set up. we were in a room adjacent to a volunteer barbecue for his campaign that was about to happen and then he came in. we started talking and introduced himself and chitchat about bozeman in general when ben jacobson placed his recorder right up to him about here and started asking him questions about the cbo report on the republican healthcare bill and you heard what happened from there. i myself was standing about two feet d jacobs when it happened. there was a table in between. i saw the whole thing when he grabbed him by the neck both hands, slid him to the side. body slammed him and got on top of him and started punching and yelling at him and ben jacobs scrambled to his knees, grabbed his glasses and you heard him talk about his glasses being

maarse, i wish jacob could be here, because i'm sure jacob would throw me out.ut the difference is is that i don't think things would be this way if jacob was here. hank, look, if you continue to do the same thing, your business is gonna close at some point. i know that she can afford to write checks forever because she doesn't want her husband and her name-- >> absolutely. >> okay, mrs. maarse, what i'm telling you is, if you continue to write the checks on a monthly basis, he will never have to fend for himself. he needs someone like me to hold him accountable for poor performance. i don't think you're willing to do that, and i understand why. but i have to tell you that that's not the way to run the business. so i'm gonna give you my offer. >> okay. >> okay? i'm gonna give you a check for 100,000. for this $100,000, i want 25% of the profit so that i'm incentivized to help you grow your business with you side by side. >> i was thinking more of 20%. >> hank, look, my time is valuable. i don't have time to be doing this all night. 25% is really the number that

the statement says gianforte asked jacobs to lower the recorder and jacobs declined and blamed jacobs for pushing them both to the ground. >> but note the recording has no indication that jacobs was asked to lower the recorder. you can judge for yourself whether the health care questions were badgering. for his part, ben jacobs calls it the strangest moment in his life. with polls opening in just a few hours, the fallout for gianforte has been swift. three of the state's biggest newspapers have rescinded their endorsements, and democrats have already rolled out facebook ads attacking gianforte for the alleged body slam. >> the democratic candidate, rob quist, so far declining to comment on all this. one other thing worth noting here, the sheriff, brian goodkin, has confirmed he gave gianforte's campaign $250 -- i'm thinking it's $250,000. >> no, $250. >> okay, but he says it will have no bearing on his investigation. early voting has been under way for weeks and hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots have already been returned, so there's really no telling how wednesday's events wi

jacobs was asked to leave after asking jacobs to lower the recorder, jacobs declined.eg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away from greg, pushing both of them to the ground. it's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer barbecue. we should quickly add, however, a fox news team in the room says that's not what they saw. that network's report reads, quote, gianforte grabbed jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. here in new york, our national political correspondent steve kornacki has come in to talk about this story tonight. and joining us by phone from bozeman, own garrick hake. talk about the contours of this race and if and how they might have changed tonight. >> well, brian, the politics in a second. but first, the weirdness of this moment. we were 200 miles away in missoula with the democrat rob quist's campaign when this news broke. i saw it on my phone and showed the original ben jacobs tw

president jacob corruption and the dangers of 1—party rule.cob zuma stands accused of abusing his power not just by his stands accused of abusing his power notjust by his enemies but by many erstwhile anc colleagues. my guest today, fikile mbalula, was made police minister in a recent controversial cabinet sha keup. as the scandals pile—up are we witnessing the slow death of the anc? fikile mbalula, welcome to hardtalk. let's begin with a simple question, there is no doubt the anc government is in crisis, who do you believe has the responsibility for that crisis? well, i wouldn't say it is a crisis. i would say we are undergoing some challenges in relation to what is happening now. and i think it is a test of time, which has happened not only now, over a period of time anc has been tested. it has emerged victorious at each turning point in terms of its history. well, you call ita terms of its history. well, you call it a challenge, i call it a crisis. i don't know what other word you could use when even the vice president suggests that the act

body slamming ben jacobs. here is the audio posted by the guardian. >> you know, you were waiting to make your decision about health care. it just came out. >> we will talk to you about that later. >> i'm just curious -- >> speak with shane. >> sick and tired of you guys. the last guy that came in here, you did the same thing. get out of here! get the hell out of here! the last guy did the same thing. you with the guardian? >> yes. you broke my glasses. >> the last guy did the same thing. >> you body slammed me and broke my glasses. >> get the hell out of here. >> i would like to call the police. can i get your names? he just body slammed me. >> moments ago the candidate's spokesman issued a statement. tonight, as greg was giving a separate interview, the guardian's ben jacobs entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in greg's face and began asking badgering questions. jacobs was asked to leave. you heard the questions he was asking about the congressional budget office score. the

double g said not right now the jacobs persisted. sounds like jesse.lert your ears... >> greg: it sounds kind of bad. how bad? there is probable cause to issue a citation but the injuries didn't meet felonyau assault. normally you would blame the g.o.p. candidate for his actions, that's what adults do. we assign blame to those responsible. we are not babies. or belgians. but the media... you know who they are going to blame? trump. >> a guy assaulting a reporter -- which wouldn't be surprising in an age of trump, where he calls the press the enemy of the people.ld these reckless words have consequences. >> there is a cost to continually berating the media. you create an atmosphere in which these people are not treated like human beings. although i'm sure the president did not intend for this particular candidate to do it,th that's the end effect when you begin behaving that way. the tone of the politics -- the country is up by the president of the united states. >> what the donald trump have anything to do with what this candidate did? >> reporters, th

to lower the recorder jacobs declined. greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away pushing them to the ground. the sheriff who had previously donated to the campaign issued the candidate a citation for misdemeanor assault. in making matters worse, multiple montana newspapers rescinded their endorsements overnight, right before voters-ed to the polls. jacobs explained how he felt. >> it's very strange and mortifying because i don't mind being blown off by politicians, and i also am always terribly uncomfortable being part of a story. and now it seems like i became the story. >> officials say after the confrontation jacobs was examined at a hospital and released. >>> president trump is now in brussels and has a heavy day ahead of him. while world leaders may welcome the president many locals are up in arms over his visit. hans is in brussels. how are they reacting to the president and how is he being received? >> reporter: he was received with protests yesterda

jacobs was asked to leave. after being asked to lower the recorder, jacobs declined. pushing them both to the ground. it is unfortunate the aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at the campaign volunteer barbecue. >> i saw his feet. >> reporter: both accounts contradicting the events. one fox news team in the room, accounts gianforte grabbed jacobs by the neck with both hands. stressing at no point did they witness jacobs acting aggressively. last night, we did catch up with the democratic challenger rob kwi quist. he said he did not want to comment. we can speak with democratic supporters. they hope this effects democratic turnout in the race for congress. a seat vacated. we are hearing, chris and alisyn, as these polls open, 7 out of 10 people have already voted. it is difficult if this will have any impact. alisyn and chris. >> kyung lah, thank you. let's talk about this with our panel. we have david gregory and john avalon. john, you used to work with the reporter. it is hard to be that measured in response than being body slammed. ben j

after asking jacobs to lower the recorder, jacobs declined. greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away from greg pushing them both to the ground. the statement concludes, it's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer barbecue. you interviewed the candidate a few hours before this confirmation. how did he seem to you? this issue of the congressional budget office thing, the reason it's timely is because he had resisted making a public declaration about it until the cbo released their score. that's why the reporter was asking about it. >> and i actually asked him the same question. i interviewed him three hours before this confrontation. i met with him, spent some time with him. he answered several questions. he did talk about health care. he said he needed to study the cbo score. he needed to look at the further details. this is a difficult dance for him. he seemed very willing to talk about it. i interviewed

"after asking jacobs to lower the recorder," did you hear that? nope nope. "jacobs declined." "greg threaten grabbed jacobs' risk. it's unfortunate that a this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer bbq." so he's accusing now the reporter of -- >> the reporter was guilty of being a good reporter. >> yeah. >> he dared to have the audacity to ask a couple of follow-up questions. now, why did he do that? for one thing, the election is tomorrow. and the cbo score, the cbo report -- >> had just come out! >> -- had just come out. the candidate had been dodging the health care issue, had not wanted to weigh in on it. and this reporter, last chance, wanted to get him on the record, what do you think about the cbo score. apparently he didn't want to answer that question. seems like. >> and kyung interviewed the candidate, his opponent, but, ann, i want to get you in here before i go to kyung. i'm sure kyung will have a much longer statement to tell us what his opponent said. is this about politics, where he's saying this liberal repor

what does jacob frenkel say about the boj policy? jacob: it is the only game in town.us way, they have changed the mood of the country. but it is a one leg in a three legged stool. there is monetary policy, fiscal policy, structural policy. most reaction has been on the monetary policy. nobody can expect this will be the only tool to revive growth. it is essential that now the government comes into the game. todaylation in any area could release entrepreneurial powers. there are a lot of initiatives that are stifled. i really believe that unless one of focus is, it is the task of government, not central banks -- unless one focuses on healthy d regulations, removals of mobility,to creativity, putting oil on the wheels, that is what we need to do. kathleen: we need to grease the wheels. jacob: more structural policy. kathleen: we want to talk about china, one belt, one road. i am kathleen hays here in tokyo. this is bloomberg. ♪ ♪ welcome back, this is bloomberg television live in tokyo this week with jacob frenkel, that chair of j.p. morgan chase international. he is on

jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away.hree of montana's largest newspapers have respect sended d their endorsements. we're told that mr. gianforte is due in court on misdemeanor assault charges from yesterday's incident and that can happen anywhere between now and june 7th we are told. keep in mind that the polls close in montana today at 8:00 p.m. mountain time. but there are a large number of montana voters who have already been voting for the past three or four weeks and have already turned in their votes. the result is. for now, i'm alicia acuna in bozeman, montana. fox news. >> both sides are talking about this. a lot of people are saying if he should lose then the republicans are going to say well it's because this incident happened. >> yeah. >> and if he won they're saying all right it doesn't matter what he does, he can get away with anything so it's going to be interesting to see how this all plays out. >> i want to point out two things here. first of all greg gianforte ran for governor last year in montana. monta

after asking jacobs to lower the recorder, jacobs declined.o grabt phone that was pushed in his face. jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away from greg, pushing them both to the ground. it's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer bbq. then the fox news crusade that jacobs walked up to gianforte and put a microphone up to his face. he said he would get to him later. jacobs persisted with his question. gianforte told him to talk to his press guy. at that point, gianforte grabbed jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. faith, keith and i, the fox news crew, watched in disbelief as gianforte then began punching the reporter. as gianforte move on top of jacobs, he began yelling something to the effect of i'm sick and tired of this. jacobs scrambled to his knees and said something about his glasses being broken. he asked for our names. jacobs then said he wanted the police called and went to leave. gianforte looked to us and apologized.

he was asked to leave after jacobs to lower the recorder.jacobs declined and greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away from greg, pushing them both to the ground. it's unfortunate this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer barbecue, end quote. joining me now on the story, charlie sykes is editor and chief of right wisconsin and msnbc contributor joy reid back was. charlie, as i mentioned, the sheriff also giving us the late-breaking information that they already had interaction with the candidate and the reporter. and they're looking at this as you would any other attempted potential battery case. according to what they've told us. your view of this on substance and politics with voters starting to come out tomorrow morning. >> well, you know, of course i didn't actually watch it. but certainly from the tape, it doesn't sound like an altercation. it does sound like the reporter is asking a legitimate question, and this cand

the statement adds that gianforte asked jacobs to lower the recorder and jacobs declined and it blames jacobs for pushing them both to the ground. >> but note this, the recording has no indication that jacobs was asked to lower the recorder and for his part, ben jacobs calls it the strangest moment in his entire life. polls are opening in hours now. the fallout for gianforte has been swift. already three of the state's biggest newspapers have rescinded their endorsements and democrats are already rolled out facebook ads atacking gianforte for the alleged body slam. >> the democratic candidate rob quist so far declining to comment. one thing worth noting, the sheriff, brian goodkin, confirmed he gave gianforte's campaign money. early voting has been under way for week and 259,000 votes have already been returned. there are only 700,000 total registered voters in montana. could be somewhere between 50 and 70% have already voted. >> a lot of concern that turnout might be light because of the upcoming holiday weekend. >> i don't think so. i think now it is high. >> today the president's fi

it's not the montana way, and i'm sorry and i want to appall jsz to ben jacobs.so to john, didn't expect the apology. what did you think? >> i think it's the right thing to do. i said at the top of the show you should never put your hands on someone. if he can stick to that and the republicans in the heartland can stick to that message, it'll be just fine. >> i think it was a good thing to be able to say he was sorry and do it publicly and do it right away. but we're going to watch if he can be effective about the comments he made about balancing the budget. >> draining the swamp. >> draining the swamp. there's a lot of work to do to make that happen. >> stay with us. a lot more on our covage here on cnn. >> indeed. president donald trump met macron on thursday. and we'll have more on the awkward nato summit next. stay with us. hy. yet up 90% fall short in getting key nutrients from food alone. let's do more. add one a day women's complete with key nutrients we may need. plus it supports bone health with calcium and vitamin d. one a day women's in gummies and tab

jacobs was asked to leave. after asking him to lower the recorder, he declined. greg attempted to grab the phone pushed in his face. jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away from greg pushing them both to the ground. it is unfortunate this behavior created this scene at our campaign barbecue. both the audio recording and eye witness accounts contradicting his defense. a team from fox news in the room recounting that he grabbed jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground. he then began punching the reporter. the eye witnesses also stressing that at no point did they witness jacobs acting aggressively. his opponent choosing not to address the incidencident on wednesday night. >> is there anything you want to say about the audio? >> i think that's more for law enforcement. >> reporter: now, the sheriffs office in a statement says that he is scheduled to appear in court on those misdemeanor assault charges some time between now and june 7th. what voters will be dividing this morning and throughout the day is whether he'll walk in as a private

jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away from greg, pushing them both to the ground. the local sheriff who previously donated to gianforte's campaign, issued a citation for misdemeanor assault. making matters worse for gianforte, multiple newspapers rescinded their endorsement overnight right before voters head to if polls. jacobs explained how he felt. >> i'm mortifying. i don't mind being blown off by politicians. i'm also terribly uncomfortable being part of a story. now it seems like i became the story. >> officials say after the confrontation, jacobs was examined at a hospital and then released. >>> now to dallas where an vv burst into flames this morning following a police pursuit. authorities say they were chasing the driver who had children inside because he allegedly shot a woman earlier in the morning. the chase involving multiple police departments lasted for several hours. officers used spike sticks to slow the driver down. he eventually stopped and that's when a fire began. local reporters did see two children safely carried to ambulances at the site. >>>

jacob zumoff is a professor of history in jersey city. also a research associate. his book

witnesses say, greg gianforte grabbed ben jacobs. jacobs recorded audio of the in a question about the gop health care plan. >> the cbo score, as you know you've been waiting to make your decision about health care until you saw the bill and it just came out. we saw the bill and it just came out. >> now according to a fox news channel crew that was there, gianforte grabbed jacob by the neck. in a statement, gianforte, said she interrupted, shoved a recorder in the candidate's face and asked badgering questions. that statement went on to say, quote, >> okay, then there is the guardian newspaper released a statement of its own. it reads in part -- >>> facing up to $500 fine, or six months in jail if convicted. fox news channel crew that was there went on to say let us be clear at no point in all of this did jacobs ever show gianforte any aggression before he acted. they go even further. and describe gianfforte, describing punching jacobs. >> from a conservative fox news crew there at the time. >> from the fox news crew. >> reporter the

after asking jacobs to lower the recorder, jacobs declined and jacobs grabbed greg's wrist and spun away them both to the ground. it's unfortunate this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist caused this scene at our barbecue. we should add a fox news team in the room says that's not what they saw. quote gianforte grabbed jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him to the ground behind him. and joining us by phone from bowsman, montana, our own garret headache. becau we'll start with you. >> the politics in a second but first just the weirdness of this moment. we were 200 miles away in missoula with the democrat rod quick's campaign when the news broke. i showed the original ben jacobs tweet to a staffer and everyone thought it was a bazar joke and as the night progressed it was clear this was real. we took the 80 mile-per-hour highways to get to boseman. we stopped add a gas station on the way. i told a clerk about this. she said to me that sounds like my kind of politician. this is at best a huge embarr s embarrassme embarrassment. he was by most accounts going to win this

accused of attacking reporter ben jacobs.ord the incident which started as a question of the republican health care bill. >> the cbo score. >> we'll talk to you about that later. >> yeah, but -- >> speak with shane, please. >> sick and tired of you guys. the last time you came here, you did the same thing. get the hell out of here. get the hell out of here. >> the last guy did the same thing. are you with the guardian? >> yes and you just broke my glasses. >> you just body slammed me and broke my glasses. >> get the hell out of here. >> well, fox news reporter who was at the scene says, gianforte grabbed jacobs by the neck with both hands and threw him down and punched him. in a statement, the campaign says jacobs was aggressive and badgered the candidate. facing a fine of six months in jail if convicted. he is due in court on the 7th of june. should point out. this also breaking overnight. all three major newspapers in montana that endorsed him and he said was a great honor. they since rescinded their endorsements. >>> the g

. >> reporter: political reporter ben jacobs says gianforte assaulted him.e took this photo from inside an ambulance wednesday. >> he's on top of me first second my glasses are broken. strangest -- the strangest moment in my entire life reporting. >> reporter: fox news correspondent alicia acuna was in the room and backed up jacobs' account writing gianforte grabbed jacob by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground. gianforte's campaign issued a statement saying jacobs aggressively shoved a recorder in greg's face and said jacobs grabbed greg's wrists and spun away from greg pushing them both to the ground. gianforte's challenger democrat rob quist declined to comment. >> i think that's a matter for law enforcement. >> reporter: we met gianforte last month in bozeman. >> people have lost faith in washington. we've got federal agencies that are way outside their sand bok. we need to reign them back in. >> reporter: gianforte faces a misdemeanor assault charge and has to appear in court in june. meg oliver cbs news new york. >> well, a document

. >> the report, ben jacobs, is standing by with our exclusive with him. we'll hear from him in a moment. >> not something you expect to see. montana's only empty house seat, voters in montana go to the polls today and it was sparked by a question about health care. jacobs was trying for a response from the congressional budget office but the health care bill will lead to 23 million more insured in the next decade. the white house democrats fighting hard. good morning david. >> reporter: good morning, george. you know, we talk about covering the rough and tumble of politics. well, normally that's just a figure of speech, but in bozeman, montana, not so much. a special election to choose the state's one and only house member. the front-runner now facing criminal charges accused of body-slamming a reporter for asking a tough question. >> rp states that he was assaulted by greg gianforte and he states greg body-slammed him and kicked his arm. he has the recording of it. >> reporter: overnight, montana's republican candidate for congress, greg gianforte, cited

ben jacobs was asking greg gianforte about it. this is a big race. the white house democrats fighting hard. abc's david wright has the story, good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, george. you know, we talk about covering the rough and tumble of politics. well, normally that's just a figure of speech but in bozeman, montana, not so much, a special election to choose the state's one and only house member. the front-runner now facing criminal charges accused of body-slamming a reporter for asking a tough question. >> rp states that he was assaulted by greg gianforte and he states greg body-slammed him and kicked his arm. >> reporter: overnight montana's republican candidate for congress, greg gianforte cited for misdemeanor assault. >> i'm sick and tired of you guys. >> reporter: he was about to do ab interview with fox news when ben jacobs uninvited came into the room to ask him a question. >> the cbo score. as you know you've been waiting to make your decision about health care until -- >> we'll talk to you about that later. >> yeah, but the

gianforte was on top of jacobs. it contradicts the statement by gianforte's office saying jacobs grabbed gianforte's wrist. rob quist remained upbeat. cbs news was in boseman to interview gianforte last month. >> people have lost faith in washington. we've got federal agencies that are way outside their sandbox. >> this incident might not move the needle. more than 60,000 have voted. 700,000 are eligible to vote. >> thanksing meg. >>> president trump is having a high-stakes meeting with officials in belgium. hes we set to meet the president after talking with the european leaders at the headquarters. margaret brennan is traveling with the president in brussels where he will attend the first nato gathering. margaret, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the original alliance was originally founded to counter russian power in europe. today president trump will urge them to focus more on counterterrorism. thousands demonstrated against president trump's arrival in brussel, a city he once described as a hellhole. pr

in the case of ben jacobs.ad been attacked by a democrat rather than a republican, i think ben jacobs would be the media darling of the right wing. he would be on every headline of breitbart, back-to-back coverage on fox news. because it is a republican, it's completely different. so everything seems very situation am. but this antagonistic relationship trump has with reporters, i don't think that's going away. i think the conservative base is going to continue to have that it's been like that for quite sometime. it's just stronger. >> it starts at the top, jason. starts at the top. this is donald trump who took some time out of his big boy trip abroad to make comments about gianforte. take a listen. going one step below that, less listen to the various republicans who refuse to reject gianforte even after he assaulted the reporter. had the head of the national republican campaign committees, the chair, said from what i know for greg gianforte, this is totally out of character. charlie dent saying, he was charg

jacobs grabbed spun away from greg. your head at the table because we're hearing two different versions of what happened there. >> yeah, we are. >> we'll talk than. >>> we're talking this story, the white house is dismissing a cbo office. it was voted on before a new cbo score came out reflecting last-minute changes. now the cbo report, a nonpartisan report, it was released yesterday, says 23 million more people will be uninsured under the house bill. that's not much different from the original white house bill where 24 million would lose coverage. it would reduce the deficit by $119 billion by 2026. the prayer would save $150 billion. the senate is now working on its own health care bill. >> cbs contributor ed o'keefe reporter. what do you have sh. >> good morning, guys. it sets the roadmap essentially. $119 millibillion is the amount meet or exceed. they have to do that. if you come in less than that, it would require democratic support. there is no democratic support for what they're doing. >> mitch mcconnell said he

campaign statement read in part quote after asking jacobs to lower recorder jacobs decline, greg then attempted to grab phone pushed in his face, jacobs grabbed his wrist and spun away from greg pushing them both to the ground but eyewitness accounts seemed to contradict that version of events. sheriff brian, says that four witnesses were being interviewed, he acknowledged he made a one time donation to the campaign earlier this year but that will have no bearing on the case. incident took place the day before special election, and gianforte who has enjoyed support of the president trump and trump's family is running against democrat rob quist. >> results of the vote will come late night tonight, outcome of the contested montana races are often known after midnight our time, sometimes even later then that based on the rate of mail ballots it looks like turnout was strong for this special election, we will wait and see if turnout surges because of the altercation. in the news center, jan carabao for cbs-3 "eyewitness news", back inside to you. >>> time is five credit 36. in business ne

>> well, i should disclose that the reporter dave jacobs is a friend of mine. we were roommates for an highway. very diligent and had the mild mannered. he's not the kind of guide who jumps over a rope line. he was asking for gianforte to respond to the cbo score of the american health care act. gianforte said he couldn't officially take a position till he knew how much it cost. this is something we were waiting for. the reporters at all of his events waiting for this score to drop. ben happened to push harder because he thought there wouldn't be another chance. i'm saying push a little bit harder metaphorically because he as the fox news team that he watched in, gianforte wanted him to stop asking him questions and to ben's surprise and ben's injury, gianforte pulled him to the ground and started screaming at him for asking the question. >> so there were witnesses outside of the candidate and his staff? >> yes, there was the fox news team that was there, national fox news team that was there to write about the story and it was doing -- had this not happened, i

ben jacobs. >> well, apology to ben jacobs.where this goes next. >> it was very much an unexpected apology. >> it was indeed. we'll continue to follow events in montana. but for the moment let's turn our attention to the president. donald trump spent time on thursday in brussels. he certainly made his presence known. first it appeared he pushed one of the prime minister's out of the way. >> and then there was the uncomfortable handshake, and finally a scolding chastising speech to nato allies, much of which seemed to come straight from his campaign play book. >> nato members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations. but 23 of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they're supposed to be paying for their defense. this is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the united states. >> well, former l.a. city councilwoman wensy and you saw the pictures. the awkward handshake, what impression did the president create at the summit? >> well, this was supposed

jacobs was asked to leave. after asking him to lower the recorder, jacobs declined.ted to grab the phone pushed in his face. jacobs grabbed greg's wrist, pushing them both to the ground. the statement concludes, it's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene. the question ben jacobs was asking was on today's congressional budget office score, the house republican health care bill, the cbo. you heard the cbo's scoring of it, and the white house slamming that scoring. these are the costs and the impact estimates, the republicans did not wait for it before passing the revised gop bill to repeal and replace obamacare. the cbo, the congressional budget office says the number of uninsured people would increase by 23 million by 2026, compared to 24 million under the original bill. the cbo found the bill, that the house passed would save less money, reducing deficits by $119 billion over ten years versus $150 billion under the original years. the white house says -- >> the senate is rewriting the house bill. the question is, how w

jacobs was asked to leave? as asked jacobs to lower the recorder he declined.attempted to grab the phone. pushing them both to the ground. it is unfortunate this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign barbecue. john, the problem with this statement is there's no semblance to reality. this is not what happened, and as a campaign -- somebody that runs campaigns, you have the altercation, do you double down and blame the reporter. >> so there's the right thing to do, which would be of-and then there's the strategically best thing to do. they're taking the strategically best thing to do. what they're doing is denying and trying to muddy the waters for another 12 or 20 hours until people can't sort out the truth, hoping they squeak across the finish line and settle it after that. >> that's what republicans call at least in trump world -- love you, don -- alternative facts. >> thank you. >> enough said. >> both sides do. >> totally right, totally right. >> let's listen to ben jacobs himself. he spoke to msnbc chris hayes. lis

jacobs grabbed his wrist and spun away. now, as a result of this three of montana's newspapers have rescinded their endorsement. now, we are being hold he is due in court on misdemeanor charges. we are told that can happen anywhere between you and june 7th. it closes 8 a.m. mountain time, but a large number have already been voting for the past three or four weeks and have already turned in their votes, so we will wait to see what the result is. right now. in boez man, maryland. >>> president barack obama spending time in europe. he received a very well welcome. he was in berlin, marking the 500th anniversary of the protest reformation in germany. mr. obama called america l one of his favorite partners -- merkle one of his favorite partners. >> these disruptions, if there is conflict, if there is war, if there is poverty, in this new world we live in, we can't isolate ourselves, we can't hide behind a wall. >> reporter: president also said he hopes to encourage a new generation of young leaders. later chancellor merkl met w