Here's the background on Greg Gianforte and his conviction for assault during an election campaign in Montana.
Who is Greg Gianforte?
Greg Gianforte, 57, is a tech millionaire and a Republican politician who lives with his wife have four children in Bozeman, Montana.
His estimated personal wealth of $136million reportedly makes him the second richest member of the US Congress.
He was born in San Diego before his family moved to Philadelphia. After school there he studied electrical engineering and computer science in New Jersey.
Soon after graduating he co-founded a software company which he and his partners sold to MacAfee for $10million in 1994.
Greg and his wife Susan founded another firm, RightNow Technologies, in 1997.
The company, which makes customer service software, was bought by Oracle in 2011 for $1.5billion.
Gianforte is a Christian conservative who once donated $300,000 to a "creationist museum" which teaches visitors that humans roamed the Earth with dinosaurs.
In 2016 he ran as the Republican candidate to be governor of Montana but lost to the Democrat.
The following year he was selected as candidate in the special election for a vacant seat in the House of Representatives.
On the eve of the poll he was caught up in an ugly scuffle with Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs.
Three local papers withdrew their endorsement but he was nonetheless elected as Congressman representing the whole of Montana, a mainly rural state with a small population.
He is defending the seat in the US Midterms on November 6 which could tip the balance of power against Donald Trump's party.
What did Greg Gianforte do to Ben Jacobs?
Jacobs, a political reporter for The Guardian's US edition, tried to interview Gianforte at his campaign office on the eve of the special election in May 2017.
An audio recording reveals the politician's furious reaction when the journalist asked his views on healthcare.
Gianforte threw Jacobs to the ground and punched him in the face while shouting: "I'm sick and tired of you guys!
"The last guy who came here did the same thing. Get the hell out of here."
He was said to have been upset by previous unflattering coverage by other Guardian journalists.
Jacobs can be heard saying the candidate had broken his glasses and he wanted to call the police.
Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna, who was waiting to interview Gianforte at the time, said he "grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him to the ground."
She said she, her field producer and photographer then "watched in disbelief as Gianforte began punching the reporter”, she wrote on the Fox News website.
Gianforte's driver Joshua Elle, who witnessed the scuffle, told cops: “It appeared as though Gianforte was striking the reporter with closed fists”.
He later saw Jacobs with “two purple marks on the right side of his face”, according to police reports.
Gianforte claimed Jacobs was "aggressive" and grabbed his wrist, causing them both to fall.
But he later admitted in a letter as part of a settlement with Jacobs: "You did not initiate any physical contact with me, and I had no right to assault you.”
He admitted misdemeanour assault and was sentenced to community service, and anger management course and a fine of $385.
He also agreed to donate $50,000 to non-profit group The Committee to Protect Journalists.
What did Donald Trump say about it?
In October 2018 the President spoke at a rally in Missoula, Montana, during campaigning for the Midterms.
He showered Gianforte with praise as he recalled the criminal assault on Jacobs – and joked: "Never wrestle him.".
He told a cheering crowd: “Any guy that can do a bodyslam, he’s my kind of guy.
“I shouldn’t say that — (but) there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Trump admitted he initially thought Gianforte’s act of violence would hurt his election chances, but: “Then I said ‘well, wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him.’ And it did!
“He’s a great guy. Tough cookie.”
The Guardian blasted Trump for making light of the assault.
Guardian US editor John Mulholland said: “To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it.
“In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats.”
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