A Minneapolis man who sprayed vinegar on Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, during a January town hall was sentenced Thursday to 14 months in federal prison, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen also ordered Anthony Kazmierczak, 56, to serve three years of supervised release with no contact with Ms. Omar, after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a United States officer.
Kazmierczak sprayed Ms. Omar with a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar from a syringe on Jan. 27 as she addressed a Minneapolis town hall, amid a federal immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities that had already led to angry protests, arrests and the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal officers. Ms. Omar’s security detail tackled Kazmierczak and turned him over to police; she was not injured and continued the event.
Rejecting a defense request for a lighter sentence, Judge Ericksen told the courtroom, “An attack on a public figure is not a political statement.”
Prosecutors argued the assault was not spontaneous, citing evidence that Kazmierczak had secured tickets to the event weeks in advance and exchanged messages with at least three people signaling he planned to do something involving Ms. Omar, though he would not detail his intentions.
Kazmierczak, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, apologized to Ms. Omar in court. His attorney told the judge his client had not been taking prescribed mental health medication at the time of the attack, which he argued lowered Kazmierczak’s inhibitions. The sentencing memo also cited a longstanding struggle with alcohol abuse and a history of mental and emotional health concerns.
Ms. Omar, a Somali refugee elected to Congress in 2018, has long faced hostility from President Trump, who in 2019 told a group of Democratic congresswomen that included Ms. Omar to “go back” to the countries they came from.
Ms. Omar was not present for the sentencing. In a statement to Bring Me The News, she said, “Political violence or threats are never acceptable.”
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