Florida Woman Who Threw Drink At Matt Gaetz Sentenced To 15 Days In Federal Prison
Amanda Kondrat’yev, the woman who threw a drink on Florida Representative Matt Gaetz and pleaded guilty to assaulting a U.S. congressman in June, was sentenced to 15 days in federal prison on Monday, Newsweek reports.
Gaetz was present at the sentencing and requested that Kondrat’yev receive jail time to prevent others from showing up to his events to cause him or his supporters harm.
“My supporters are just as passionate as all my opponents,” he said in a statement issued before Kondrat’yev’s sentencing.
“They have the capability to be violent too. My efforts to ensure ALL participants remain nonviolent are undermined greatly by the Defendant’s actions.”
“Only incarceration allows me to reinforce to my supporters and opponents alike that Free Speech is welcomed — but assault will not be tolerated.”
Kondrat’yev reportedly hit Gaetz with a red drink in the chest and torso area as he was leaving a Pensacola restaurant, NBC News reports. The woman was allegedly holding a sign that read, “Gaetz — wipe the blood from your hands, A+ rating — NRA, save our kids vote Gaetz out in 2020.”
Kondrat’yev reportedly ran as a Democrat in 2016 in a bid to take Gaetz’s seat but ended up withdrawing from the race.
Eric Stevenson, Kondrat’yev’s lawyer, claims that his client faced up to a year in prison. However, the judge acknowledged that the behavior was “aberrant.”
“While we were asking for no jail time, we are glad the judge went below the guidelines.”
Stevenson highlighted that while Kondrat’yev did commit a violent crime, he believes it’s not on the same level of violence as a potential DUI is to drivers on the road — a likely jab at Gaetz’ previous arrest in Okaloosa County for suspicion of a DUI, which never led to a conviction, per Heavy.
#Florida congressman @mattgaetz gets a milkshake thrown at him as he leaves a coffee shop in #Pensacola, surrounded by protestors.
The woman who threw the shake was charged w/ misdemeanor battery.
Gaetz later said: “It takes more than a drink to slow down our great team.” pic.twitter.com/v5kFBWMzyx
— Frances Wang (@FrancesWangTV) June 2, 2019
Gaetz made headlines in October for leading legislators into a closed-door session in the Capitol that was part of the impeachment probe into Donald Trump. At the time, Gaetz suggested that Republicans should be “tougher” in their efforts in “exposing this for the kangaroo court that it is.” Regardless, approximately one-quarter of Republicans who stormed the session were reportedly already allowed into the proceedings.
As The Inquisitr reported, the 37-year-old Republican congressman also filed an ethics complaint in the United States House against Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who is one of the major players in the inquiry into Trump. According to Gaetz’s complaint, Schiff has made two rule violations during his role in the probe.
