The man who squirted vinegar on Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall in January pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of assaulting a U.S. officer.
Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, admitted he attacked the Minnesota Democrat because he disagreed with her political views.
“This assault is yet another example of a dangerous national trend: people channeling political hatred into criminal acts,” said Daniel N. Rosen, the U.S. attorney in Minnesota.
Ms. Omar was hosting a town hall on Jan. 27, amid the immigration enforcement surge in her state. That was just days after Homeland Security officers shot and killed Alex Pretti and weeks after they killed Renee Good.
A man is tackled to the …
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At the town hall, Ms. Omar called for then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign when Kazmierczak, seated at the front of the audience, rose and strode toward the congresswoman. He then sprayed her with a syringe containing what was later determined to be apple cider vinegar and water.
“She’s not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart,” Kazmierczak shouted.
As he backed away, he was tackled to the ground by a member of the congresswoman’s security detail.
Ms. Omar briefly halted the town hall but then continued.
