Sinclair TV boss donated to Montana congressman who attacked reporter

One of the brothers who control Sinclair Broadcasting has donated more than $10,000 to Rep Greg Gianforte (R-MT), the congressman who assaulted a journalist and then lied to police about it. Robert E Smith, whose company is the biggest owner of television stations in the US, gave a maximum $5,400 campaign contribution to Rep Greg Gianforte. He did the same in 2017. Gianforte was fined and sentenced to community service and anger management classes in June 2017, after pleading guilty to assaulting the Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs on the eve of his special election victory the previous month. Smith stated when donating to Gianforte  that he was self-employed and worked in real estate, an apparent reference to a commercial property firm he founded. His connection to Sinclair was not noted. When he donated $5,400 to Gianforte in 2017, Smith said he was retired. He did the same when giving $10,000 to the Montana Republican party before the assault. Smith has also donated $5,000 to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, variously stating that he was a self-employed musician and a director.