>>> GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK. I'M CHRIS HAYES.
ON THE EVE OF THE SPECIAL ELECTION IN MONTANA, WHICH WAS
ALREADY WAY TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT FOR REPUBLICANS THERE,
WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS AT THIS MOMENT.
FROM BOZEMAN, MONTANA, WHERE THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR
CONGRESS HAS REPORTEDLY ASSAULTED A REPORTER COVERING
THE RACE. GREG GIANFORTE IS THE REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE FOR MONTANA'S LONE AT LARGE CONGRESSIONAL SEAT RUNNING
IN TOMORROW'S SPECIAL ELECTION AGAINST DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE ROB
QUIST. GUARDIAN REPORTER BEN JACOBS HAS
BEEN OUT IN MONTANA COVERING THAT RACE.
AND JUST AFTER 7:00 EASTERN, JACOBS TWEETED THE FOLLOWING.
GREG GIANFORTE JUST BODY-SLAMMED ME AND BROKE MY GLASSES.
TEN MINUTES LATER, JACOBS TWEETED, THERE WAS A LOCAL TV
CREW THERE WHEN GIANFORTE BODY SLAMMED ME.
AUDIO IS POSTING SOON. NATURALLY WE REACHED OUT TO
JACOBS, CONFIRMED THIS WAS NOT A JOKE.
WE'VE ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE GIANFORTE CAMPAIGN TO GET THEIR
VERSION OF EVENTS. WE AWAIT A RESPONSE.
THERE WERE WITNESSES, HOWEVER, AND WE HAVE ONE OF THEM ON THE
PHONE RIGHT NOW. ALEXIS LEVINSON OF BUZZFEED WAS
IN BOZEMAN AND SAW THE CONFRONTATION.
ALEXIS, ARE YOU THERE? >> HEY, I'M HERE.
>> OKAY, ALEXIS. WHAT DID YOU SEE?
HOW DID THIS GO DOWN? >> SO BEN AND I DROVE OVER TO
THIS EVENT. IT'S AT THE GIANFORTE CAMPAIGN
HEADQUARTERS. WE WALKED IN.
IT'S A BUNCH OF PEOPLE MAKING PHONE CALLS.
WE HAD BOTH BEEN REQUESTING TIME WITH HIM.
IT WAS CLEAR THEY WERE NOT PSYCHED TO GIVE BEN TIME AND NOT
ENTIRELY CLEAR ON WHY, BUT ONE OF GIANFORTE'S AIDES INDICATED
THERE WAS SOME SORT OF ISSUE WITH SOME PRIOR -- THEY HAD
TAKEN SOME SORT OF ISSUE WITH SOMETHING THE GUARDIAN HAD
WRITTEN ABOUT THE RACE PREVIOUSLY OR DONE ABOUT THE
RACE PREVIOUSLY. AND THEN GIANFORTE WENT INTO
KIND OF A SIDE ROOM OFF THIS LITTLE AREA WHERE PEOPLE WERE
MAKING CALLS. THERE WAS A TV CREW SET UP IN
THERE, A LOCAL TV CREW. BEN KIND OF WALKED IN AS WE ALL
DO TO KIND OF LISTEN IN ON EVERYONE'S INTERVIEWS.
AND I WASN'T REALLY PAYING ATTENTION.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I HEARD THIS HUGE CRASH, LIKE REALLY
ALARMING. THIS IS 15 PEOPLE IN LIKE A
SMALL KIND OF ROOM. AND I SAW SOMEONE'S FEET FLY IN
THE AIR. THEN I HEARD YELLING, AND IT WAS
PRETTY CLEARLY GIANFORTE A VOICE FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD HIM SAY
BEFORE, AND HE SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT -- AND I GATHER BEN
HAS AUDIO, SO HE'LL HAVE A MORE ACCURATE READ ON THIS.
BUT IT WAS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF, GET OUT OF HERE, GET
OUT OF HERE. ARE YOU FROM THE GUARDIAN?
THIS IS THE SAME DAMN THING THE OTHER PEOPLE DID.
AND THEN SOMEONE SLAMMED -- I MAY BE A LITTLE OFF ON THE
TIMELINE WITH THE REST OF IT, BUT IN SOME PARTICULAR ORDER
SOMEONE SLAMMED THE DOOR AND THEN OPENED THE DOOR.
BEN CAME OUT. HIS GLASSES WERE BROKEN.
HE SAID, HE JUST BODY SLAMMED ME.
HE SORT OF STOOD THERE STUNNED FOR A SECOND.
AN AIDE WENT INTO THE ROOM, CAME BACK OUT, TOLD BEN, YOU NEED TO
LEAVE. AND GIANFORTE AND AN AIDE WALKED
INTO ANOTHER ROOM, CLOSED THE DOOR.
EVERYONE JUST SORT OF SAT THERE SILENTLY BECAUSE EVERYONE IN THE
ROOM HAD HEARD ALL OF THIS. BEN WENT OUTSIDE.
COPS WERE CALLED. PARAMEDICS WERE CALLED.
ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL, THE POLICE OR SHERIFFS ARE
INTERVIEWING PEOPLE. I HAVE TO GO DO LIKE A FORMAL
WITNESS INTERVIEW. >> POLICE AND FIRE CAME.
AMBULANCE CAME. BEN WAS TAKEN --
>> BEN IS IN AN AMBULANCE. THEY WERE SAYING HE'S FINE.
YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY TALK TO HIM ABOUT THIS, NOT ME, BUT THEY
WERE SAYING HE'S FINE. THEY OBVIOUSLY ADVISED EVERYONE
TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
AND GIANFORTE WENT INTO A ROOM WITH AIDES.
EVERYONE KIND OF WENT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
THERE WERE A LOT OF AIDES COMING AND GOING.
GIANFORTE WENT OUT. I DIDN'T SEE HIM FOR A WHILE.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS I THINK HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THE
POLICE. THERE WAS THE POLICE -- THE EMT
GUYS SAID SOMEONE WAS TALKING TO THE POLICE.
THEY DIDN'T SPECIFY WHO. HE DISAPPEARED FOR A WHILE.
I STARTED TO GO BACK INSIDE AND SAW THAT GIANFORTE WAS IN THE
PASSENGER SEAT IN A CAR WITH TWO OF HIS AIDES.
I ASKED THE AIDES WHAT WAS GOING ON.
THEY DIDN'T ANSWER, AND GOT IN THE CAR AND DROVE AWAY.
THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT IS STILL HERE INTERVIEWING PEOPLE.
>> I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I HAVE THIS RIGHT.
THIS WAS A CAMPAIGN EVENT THAT WAS IN JUST A CAMPAIGN
HEADQUARTERS, SO IT'S JUST VOLUNTEERS AROUND LIKE MAKING
CALLS, RIGHT? >> YEAH.
SO THIS WAS -- IT'S ON HIS OFFICIAL PRESS SCHEDULE.
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE JUST HIS FINAL CAMPAIGN EVENT BEFORE
ELECTION DAY, A THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERS.
IT'S AT THEIR CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS IN BOZEMAN, WHICH
IS IN SORT OF THIS OFFICE PARK IN BOZEMAN.
IT'S JUST A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS SITTING AND MAKING CALLS.
>> THEY'RE SITTING THERE MAKES CALLS.
THE SIDE ROOM THAT HE GOES INTO IS A SIDE ROOM WHICH A LOCAL TV
NETWORK HAD SET UP, A SHORT OF SHOOT FOR AN INTERVIEW.
WHEN BEN WENT IN THAT ROOM, WAS IN JUST BEN AND GIANFORTE IN
THERE OR WERE A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE IN THAT ROOM?
>> I BELIEVE THE TV CREW WAS IN THERE.
THEY WERE IN THERE WHEN I SAW BEFORE.
>> SO PEOPLE SAW THIS? >> BEN SORT OF -- IT WAS SORT OF
LIKE A -- YOU KNOW, WE ALL DO THIS WHEN TV CREWS INTERVIEW A
CANDIDATE. YOU SORT OF LIKE STAND THERE IF
-- SO YOU CAN GET THE AUDIO AS
WELL. THEY TEND NOT TO WANT TO GIVE
ENDLESS INTERVIEWS ON THE SAME THING.
THE DOOR WAS WIDE OPEN. SO --
>> HE DOESN'T EVEN DUCK IN TO LIKE GO ASK A BUNCH OF
QUESTIONS. HE'S THERE TO LURKING TO LISTEN
TO THE INTERVIEW? >> I SAW HIM DUCK IN.
>> NOT THAT ASKING QUESTIONS WOULD MEAN THAT HE DESERVED WHAT
HAPPENED, BUT JUST TO CLARIFY -- >> I CAN'T SPEAK FOR WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE ROOM BECAUSE I -- I DIDN'T TRY AND GO IN.
I WAS SORT OF JUST STANDING THERE.
BUT I HEARD THE CRASH, AND I SAW HIS FEET FLY.
>> AND HE CAME OUT AND SAID, WITH BROKEN GLASSES IN HIS HAND,
HE JUST BODY SLAMMED ME? >> YEAH.
>> AND THEN THE CANDIDATE WENT INTO ANOTHER ROOM WITH AN AIDE
AND WAS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS FOR A WHILE?
>> YES. >> AND THEN THE POLICE CAME.
AMBULANCE AND FIRE CAME, AND THE POLICE -- THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE
ARE NOW TAKING WITNESS STATEMENTS RIGHT NOW?
>> THEY JUST TOOK ONE FROM ME, AND THEY SAID THEY HAD TO TELL
ME TO COME SOMEWHERE TO DO A FORMAL