re: Fox News reporter gives first hand account of Gianforte's assault on reporter

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You have literally no idea how the press gets into these things, do you?

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Yes, I do. Jacobs was invited to the BBQ or another public event, not the private interview with Fox News.

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They NEVER get close to a candidate without press credentials. That is literally the opposite of being "un-invited"

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Sure they do, when they wander beyond the room they were asked to be in. This is a Montana special election at a short-term lease space in Bozeman, not the Rayborn building.

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As part of our preparation for a story about Thursday's special election to air on "Special Report with Bret Baier," we arranged interviews with the top two candidates, Republican Greg Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist. On Wednesday, I joined field producer Faith Mangan and photographer Keith Railey in Bozeman for our scheduled interview with Gianforte, which was to take place at the Gianforte for Congress Bozeman Headquarters.

Faith, Keith and I arrived early to set up for the interview in a room adjacent to another room where a volunteer BBQ was to take place. As the time for the interview neared, Gianforte came into the room. We exchanged pleasantries and made small talk about restaurants and Bozeman.

During that conversation, another man — who we now know is Ben Jacobs of The Guardian — walked into the room with a voice recorder, put it up to Gianforte's face and began asking if he had a response to the newly released Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte told him he would get to him later. Jacobs persisted with his question. Gianforte told him to talk to his press guy, Shane Scanlon.

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