OnPolitics Today: Donald Trump and Greg Gianforte get physical – USA TODAY

Posted: May 26, 2017 at 4:35 am

Ben Jacobs claims Montana GOP candidate Greg Gianforte "body slammed" him after he asked about the latest CBO score. A Buzzfeed reporter confirmed the account saying she heard a loud crash and saw his feet fly in the air. USA TODAY

Will Montana voters put a guy into Congress who just yesterday allegedly assaulted a reporter? We'll know after tonight.

News broke that U.S House candidate Greg Gianforte allegedly "body-slammed" a reporter on the eve of Thursday's vote, withwitnesses later describingthe Republican as having grabbed the journalist by the neck before hurling him to the ground. A misdemeanor assault charge and an attack ad stemmed from the incident, along with a condemnationfrom House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Many thought a loss for Giafortemight signal shifting winds for a Trump-led GOPin a traditionally red state. Then a body slam happened, andnow folk-singing Democrat Rob Quist might pull of a major upset. Maybe.

Also on Thursday: Trump pushed a prime minister, which, all things considered, seems quaint.

It's OnPolitics Today, USA TODAY's daily politics roundup.Subscribe here.

Trump's travel band will stay stymied.A federal appeals court in Virginia on Thursday ruledto uphold a prior decision barring the president's controversial ban, which targets six majority-Muslim countries. Now a Supreme Court battle over the ban seems all the more likely. A blunt statement fromChief Judge Roger Gregory of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said that despite revisions removing any mention of religion, the ban still failed to hide "President Trumps desire to exclude Muslims from the United States."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the case would be appealed to the Supreme Court.

It was the shove seen 'round the world: President Trump seemingly grabbed the right arm of the prime ministerof Montenegro and pushed him back into a crowd of NATO leaders before standing tall and adjusting his jacket. Video of the incident aided Trump's second viral moment this week on Thursday, after his wife Melania was caught apparentlyswatting his hand away in Israel. At the NATO meeting, Trump pressured leaders of the military alliance to throw intheir "fair share"for the group's costs. Trump also declined to endorse the NATO treaty's Article 5,which states an attack on one member country is consideredan attack on all. A White House spokesman later said his support for it was implicit.

A no-go for Joe. One-time senator Joe Liebermanpulled his name off the listof finalists under considerationto lead the FBI on Thursday, citing a possible "conflict of interest." It turns out that Lieberman is a senior counsel at the same law firm where Trump's personal lawyer,Marc Kasowitz, is a senior partner. Kasowitz currently represents Trump on various ongoing investigations tied to Trump, Lieberman noted. That makes the idea of Lieberman replacing James Comey, the former FBI director who oversaw a Russia inquiry tied to Trump, a bit messy.

Lieberman, who served four terms in the Senate, said he was "grateful" for Trump's consideration.

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2r2USjJ

Visit link:

OnPolitics Today: Donald Trump and Greg Gianforte get physical - USA TODAY

Related Posts