Gianforte apology better late than never

In response to the alleged assault on a reporter in Montana, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican from Bozeman, tweeted, “Greg Gianforte needs to apologize.”

He said it Thursday morning, after the body-slamming of Ben Jacobs of the Guardian, a British publication. He said it after the fantastical statement of denial put out by the Gianforte campaign. He said it after Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault. He said it before the polls closed on a special congressional election to replace Ryan Zinke, who was selected as secretary of the interior.

Late Thursday night, Gianforte finally did own up to his actions and apologize to the reporter after he had won election.

“Last night I made a mistake. I should not have responded in the way that I did and for that I am sorry.”

The attack was obviously wrong, and the apology stood in contrast to the statement his campaign put out right after the incident.

An audio recording and an eyewitness account by a Fox News team, confirmed what happened Wednesday night. Jacobs asked Gianforte about the just-released Congressional Budget Office score of the American Health Care Act. In the past, Gianforte had said he wanted to await that analysis before commenting. But he declined to answer the question, and Jacobs asked again.

At that point, said Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs, slammed him to the ground and threw some punches. The Gianforte campaign released a statement that bore no resemblance to Acuna’s account or the audio posted by Jacobs. And it held to it until the race results were in.

The attack was shocking. The response was outrageous.

Journalists aren’t popular, and we harbor no illusions about that. It isn’t a goal; nor should it be. We know thrusting a recording device at someone isn’t the most charming act, but it is necessary in the hurly-burly of news gathering. Reporters want to get the story right. They want the quote to be accurate. They do not want to be the story.

It is certainly unusual that a policy question would provoke a violent response. Politicians routinely face more withering inquiries, and hundreds of them faced this precise question on Wednesday without getting physical.

Gianforte’s holdout against the truth was not without support.

On Thursday, CNN reporter Kyung Lah, who was covering the election, tweeted some comments from Montana voters that reflect the current political climate. One voter told her, “You’re lucky someone doesn’t pop you.” Another said, “That audio made me cheer.”

While Gianforte’s campaign was saying it didn’t happen, some supporters were clearly glad that it did. If they’d like to see more attacks, they need only book a flight to one of many countries run by thugs.

Political intensity is abnormally high these days, with widespread discontent across the ideological spectrum. The president has dubbed journalists “the enemy of the people” and “the most dishonest people.” He continually accuses the media of peddling “fake news.”

If Gianforte’s actions are accepted or even rationalized, then violence against the media becomes acceptable. From there, it becomes common.

Gianforte’s apology came late, and it came after the election results were in. But it’s better than never. It’s a lesson that remains available for those who cheered an unwarranted, inexcusable assault.

One final note. If he still hasn’t answered the question about the House’s health care bill, it’s not too late for that either.