Montana congressman Gianforte booked after assault conviction

HELENA – Montana U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte has been photographed and fingerprinted after pleading guilty to assaulting a reporter on the eve of the special election that put him in office.

Gallatin County jail records indicate the booking process Friday took 23 minutes, beginning at 6:37 a.m. A jail spokeswoman confirmed he was booked and released.

Gianforte’s attorneys had argued against him having to be booked because he was not formally arrested for attacking Ben Jacobs, a reporter for Britain’s the Guardian newspaper.

Justice of the Peace Rick West on Monday ordered the Bozeman Republican to be booked by Sept. 15 or be held in contempt of court.

It’s virtually guaranteed that Democrats will use a Gianforte mug shot to persuade people to vote for their candidate if the congressman seeks re-election in 2018.