GOP leader resigns after saying she would have shot reporter Gianforte assaulted

A woman who said she would have shot the reporter who was assaulted last year by Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte has resigned her position from a Republican organization in Montana, according to the Missoulian.

On Friday, Democratic Montana Congressional candidate John Heenan was speaking on the air with Voices of Montana host Jon Arneson when the daily talk show took a call from a woman who identified herself as Karen, a friend of Rep. Greg Gianforte, who assaulted Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs prior to the special election for the seat he won in Congress last year.

“If that kid had done to me what he did to Greg, I would have shot him,” she said.

Heenan identified her as Karen Marshall, former VP of Programs within the Gallatin County Republican Women organization. On Monday, the organization announced on Facebook that they had received Marshall’s letter of resignation.

Marshall’s former position within the organization, VP Programs, is listed as “vacant” on the organization’s website. In its mission statement, the organization said that Gallatin County Republican women, “promotes integrity, virtue, and honesty in government.”

Gianforte’s assault of Jacobs made its way back into the news when President Donald Trump spoke of the incident at a rally on Thursday in Missoula. Trump warned the crowd to “never wrestle” Gianforte and said, “any guy who can do a body slam … he’s my guy.”