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A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 10 June 2017
APNewsBreak: Gianforte to plead guilty to assault charge

By MATT VOLZ guilty.”
Associated Press Gianforte spokesman
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — U.S. Shane Scanlon did not re-
Rep.-elect Greg Gianforte turn telephone and text
of Montana will plead guilty messages seeking com-
to assaulting a reporter the ment.
day before being elected Misdemeanor assault con-
the state’s only congress- victions in Montana carry
man last month, a prosecu- a maximum penalty of
tor said Friday. six months in prison and a
The Republican technol- $500 fine. Lambert said he
ogy entrepreneur will enter will recommend a penalty
his plea in court on Mon- to Justice of the Peace Rick
day, when he is scheduled West at Monday’s hearing,
to be arraigned and sen- but declined to disclose his
tenced on the misdemean- recommendation.
or charge, Gallatin County Jacobs said Gianforte
Attorney Marty Lambert “body slammed him” after
told The Associated Press. the reporter asked a ques-
Gianforte requested the tion about the Congressio-
court hearing after reach- nal Budget Office’s analysis
ing a civil settlement this of a health care bill the day
week. before the May 25 election.
Guardian reporter Ben In this May 25, 2017 photo, Greg Gianforte celebrates his win for Montana’s open congressional Audio of the encounter
Jacobs over claims that seat in Bozeman, Mont. Gianforte will plead guilty to assaulting a reporter the day before being taken by Jacobs recorded
elected the state’s only congressman last month, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gianforte knocked Jacobs (Rachel Leathe/Bozeman Daily Chronicle via AP sounds of a scuffle, fol-
to the ground when the lowed by Gianforte yell-
reporter asked him a ques- object to Gianforte enter- to the charge without ad- “He is not going to be en- ing for the reporter to “get
tion May 24. ing a plea of no contest, or mitting guilt. tering a nolo contendere the hell out of here.” Police
As part of the settlement, nolo contendere, meaning But Lambert said Gianforte plea,” Lambert said. “He’s charged Gianforte that
Jacobs said he would not Gianforte would concede will plead guilty. going to be pleading night.q

Canvassers charged in fake, fraudulent voter registrations

By RICK CALLAHAN Democrat-linked group fo- or fraudulent voter regis- tas, according to charging ployed by the Indiana
Associated Press cused on mobilizing black tration applications ahead documents filed Friday. Voter Registration Project
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — voters in Indiana are ac- of last year’s general elec- Prosecutors allege that 11 created and submitted an
Twelve employees of a cused of submitting fake tion in order to meet quo- temporary workers em- unknown number of falsi-
fied applications. Accord-
ing to a probable cause
affidavit, a supervisor for
those canvassers, Holiday
Burke, was also charged,
as was the group.
The Indiana Voter Registra-
tion Project’s effort to reg-
ister primarily black voters
was overseen by Patriot
Majority USA, which has ties
to the Democratic Party,
including Senate Minority
Leader Harry Reid and for-
mer President Bill Clinton.
Patriot Majority has denied
any wrongdoing. Spokes-
man Bill Buck on Friday de-
clined to comment.
State Police began investi-
gating the group in August
after a clerk in Hendricks
County near Indianapo-
lis flagged about a dozen
registration forms that had
missing or suspicious infor-
mation.
That investigation expand-
ed to 56 counties where
Patriot Majority said it had
collected about 45,000
voter registration applica-
tions before last Novem-
ber’s election.q