US Capitol rioter gets 5 years in jail for Capitol assault

 

For attacking police officers during the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, a Donald Trump fan was sentenced to five years in jail, the toughest term yet handed down in the inquiry into the violence. 

In images and photos, Robert Scott Palmer, 54, was seen throwing boards, a fire extinguisher, and other things at police outside the Capitol while wearing an American flag jacket with pro-Trump patches and a cap that stated "Florida for Trump." 

He attempted to enter the Capitol, but was repelled by security personnel who used pepper spray. He continued to throw objects at officers after that until he was wounded by a rubber bullet.

Palmer's requests for leniency were denied by federal judge Tanya Chutkan, who cited his problematic childhood and a handwritten apology in which he said he and others were lured into attacking Congress by the previous president, whom he called "tyrannical" and "desperate to hold on to power."

He wrote, "I recognize that we, meaning Trump fans, have been lied to." Prosecutors noted that even after his guilty plea on October 4, Palmer continued to justify his acts, claiming that police were the aggressors on a fundraising website that he created. 

In a sentencing brief, prosecutors said to the court, "Palmer willfully joined a large number of rioters with the sole objective of interfering with the nation's political process." 

"Palmer used violence to achieve his political goal of destabilizing a democratic election and preventing a peaceful transfer of power."

The previous maximum penalty in the Capitol incident was 41 months, which was handed down to two men convicted of impeding an official proceeding but not of assaulting law enforcement. 

More than 700 people have been charged in connection with the incident, the majority of them have been charged with minor offenses such as illegally entering the Capitol. 

However, several dozen people are facing charges of assault and lethal weapons, as well as conspiracy, which could result in lengthy prison sentences.