[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Rep. Matt Gaetz celebrated the news on Monday that the woman who threw a sports drink at him had been sentenced to 15 days in prison for the attack."Physical assault has no place in our political discourse," Gaetz said. "I am grateful that law enforcement and our judicial system recognized this principle today."
During a campaign event in June, Amanda Kondrat'yev threw a red drink at the congressman from the Florida panhandle. She was there along with other protesters who shouted at him and held signs telling him to "wipe the blood off his hands" and shamed him for his "A+" rating from the NRA.
"Constituents deserve to be safe at events hosted by our congressional office. My staff deserves to be safe," Gaetz said in a victim impact statement submitted in court. "Their families and mine shouldn’t have to worry that while federal officials are doing their jobs, we are at risk of assault."
Kondrat'yev, a 35-year-old wife and mother of two, briefly ran against Gaetz as a Democratic challenger in the 2016 election, according to the Pensacola Journal. She faced up to a year in prison as a result of her conviction.