MONTANA: Dems Troll GOP US House Rep With Bill That Calls Up To One Year In Jail For Assaulting Journalists

Politico reports:

Democrats in the Montana state legislature put forward a bill Monday that would increase the penalty for assaulting a journalist from $500 to a maximum of $5,000 and up to a year in jail — a none-too-subtle slap at Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte and his infamous body slam of a reporter two years ago.

“I feel pretty strongly that we are seeing an increase in physical and verbal attacks on the press and they need protection,” said state Rep. Tom Woods, who introduced the “Protect the Free Press Act.” “Journalists deliberately create conflict and they do it for us.”

he congressman, who is considering running for Montana governor in 2020, pleaded guilty in June 2017 to a misdemeanor assault of Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs during the congressional special election campaign earlier that year.

After pleading guilty, Gianforte, who is worth over $300 million, was fined $385 and ordered to take an anger management course.