Jan. 6 Rioter who Struck Cop With Fire Extinguisher Given Stiffest Sentence Yet, Says Trump Betrayed Him
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On Friday a Florida man was given the stiffest sentence yet in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Robert Palmer said former President Donald Trump betrayed him as a judge announced he would spend the next five years in prison.
Palmer, 54, was among numerous rioters who were sentenced by the District Court for the District of Columbia for their actions earlier this year at the U.S. Capitol.
The Associated Press reported Palmer threw multiple objects at law enforcement officers during the riot:
…Palmer made his way to the front line during the chaos and started to attack, throwing a wooden plank, spraying a fire extinguisher, then hurling it when it was done. He rooted around for other objects, prosecutors said. He was briefly pepper-sprayed by police before he attacked officers again with a pole. He pleaded guilty to attacking officers.
The AP further reported, “Palmer said in a handwritten letter to the judge that he felt betrayed by Trump and his allies who fed them conspiracy theories.”
Palmer’s letter to DC Circuit Court Judge Tanya Chutkan read, “Trump supporters were lied to by those at the time who had great power… They kept spitting out the false narrative about a stolen election and how it was ‘our duty’ to stand up to tyranny.” Palmer was recently played video in court which showed him, among other things, throwing the fire extinguisher. Palmer said seeing the video made him feel a sense of shame.
Chutkan said, “It is true that the people who extorted you and encouraged you and rallied you to go and take action have not been charged… That is not the court’s decision. I have my opinions but they are not relevant.”
The judge also told Palmer that the five-year sentence was not one intended to make an example of him.
The judge concluded, “It has to be made clear… trying to stop the peaceful transition of power and assaulting law enforcement officers is going to be met with certain punishment.”
