Gaetz Makes Gianforte Joke, Gets Schooled
Florida congressman jokes about reporter who ‘occasionally deserved it’
Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz got a lesson on the state’s Stand Your Ground law after he made a joke about Montana congressional candidate’s alleged attack on a reporter.
The morning after Republican Greg Gianforte allegedly attacked a reporter for asking whether he supported the Republican health care bill after its Congressional Budget Office scoring was released, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz joked that an editor at the Tampa Bay Times has “occasionally deserved” something similar.
That’s when a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times noted that things might not go so well for Gaetz if he tried something similar in Florida.
Not that @mikevansickler hasn’t occasionally deserved it…. https://t.co/4tdLn9tK14
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 25, 2017
@mattgaetz @mikevansickler Of course, in #Florida, if you body-slammed a reporter, Stand Your Ground would allow him or her to shoot you.
— Craig Pittman (@craigtimes) May 25, 2017
Good point https://t.co/BG6b02PwpL
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 25, 2017
Under the law in Florida, the Guardian reporter who Gianforte allegedly attacked and threw to the ground would be justified in shooting his attacker.
Gaetz conceded the point.
Montana actually has its own Stand Your Ground law, meaning Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs would have had legal justification there had he shot Gianforte instead of calling the police.