A leftist agitator, Democratic congressional candidate and reported Antifa member has been sentenced to 15 days in prison for throwing a drink onto Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as the lawmaker left a town hall in Pensacola.
Amanda Kondrat’yev, 35, who ran against Gaetz in 2016, initially pleaded not guilty in the aggressive outburst but changed her plea to guilty on Aug. 1.
Sentencing guidelines called for eight months to a year in jail, the Pensacola News Journal reported, so Kondrat’yev’s sentence was markedly light. Judge Hope Cannon said the lack of a criminal history and the “limited duration” of the crime justified the leniency.
“The fact that there was no bodily injury or harm does not make this crime count any less,” Cannon cautioned. Lawmakers should be able to serve without fear of assault, she said.
“Physical assault has no place in our political discourse,” Gaetz said in a statement. “I am grateful that law enforcement and our judicial system recognized this principle today.”
According to the Daily Caller, Kondrat’yev is a member of Antifa, a far-left group known for creating civil nuisances and for outright violence against people and property.
Kondrat’yev’s lawyer Eric Stevenson tried to divert attention from her assault by pointing out that Gaetz was arrested in 2008 for driving under the influence—the charges were later dropped—and when Gaetz recently led a group of lawmakers to a secure room in Congress to interrupt a closed-door impeachment hearing.
“For him to talk about a violent crime, it’s not as violent as a potential DUI is to drivers on the road,” Stevenson said, reported the News Journal.
While police officers didn’t see Kondrat’yev throw the unidentified red liquid at Gaetz, multiple witnesses said they saw her throw it and one reportedly caught it on video.
According to a police report obtained by the News Journal, Kondrat’yev was arrested trying to flee. She was holding a sign that read “Gaetz—wipe off the blood from your hands, A+ rating—NRA, save our kids vote Gaetz out in 2020.”
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