Greg Gianforte, the congressman-elect who punched and “bodyslammed” a Guardian reporter, will perform 40 hours of community service and pay a $300 fine after pleading guilty to assault. He must also attend 20 hours of anger management courses.
Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs was asking Gianforte a question on May 24 when the Republican candidate threw him to the ground.
“A Gallatin County judge sentenced Gianforte to 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management classes and a $300 fine,” Montana Public Radio’s Eric Whitney reports.
According to Whitney Bermes, a reporter for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the judge initially gave Gianforte four days in jail, where under the terms of a jail work program he would be able to spend two of those days working.
The judge, for whatever reason, reportedly change the sentence within minutes to specify community service instead of jail time.