Politicians around the country and here in Ohio are sounding off on the allegations that a Republican congressional candidate body slammed a reporter and has been criminally charged. One top Ohio Democrats says this is part of a larger cultural shift.
A reporter is accusing U.S. House hopeful Greg Gianforte of slamming him to the ground during an attempted interview in Montana, and Gianforte is facing an assault charge.
The highest ranking Democrat in Ohio, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, didn’t hold back when it came to his thoughts on the alleged attack.
“Put the responsibility wherever, but we’ve created in this country an atmosphere where it seems to be OK for some politicians -- some Republican politicians -- to literally take a swipe at the media. When the president of the United States calls the media the enemy of the people, that’s sort of Soviet talk.”
Republican U.S. House Rep. Steve Stivers, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, called the accusation out of character for Gianforte, saying “we all make mistakes.” But Montana media and The Washington Post are reporting Gianforte has a history of hostility toward reporters and controversial comments.
