On Tuesday, a federal judge sentenced Donald Trump appointee Elliot Broidy to nearly six years in prison for attacking police on Jan. 6 at the Capitol.
The incident occurred during the heightened tensions surrounding the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. When a large group of Trump supporters breached the Capitol Building, some of the protesters clashed with police, including Broidy. He was filmed on video forcefully pushing officers and charging them with a large wooden flag pole. He was ultimately arrested and taken into custody on Jan. 20.
Broidy, a major Republican fundraiser and former deputy finance chairman at the Republican National Committee (RNC), pleaded guilty to the charges of assaulting officers and entering a restricted building. Because of his crimes, he was sentenced to a 70-month prison sentence, a $66,000 fine, two years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service.
In addition to his criminal acts, prosecutor John Crabb said Broidy’s actions at the Capitol undermined democratic and peaceful transition of power. Broidy’s defense team argued that the charges were too harsh and did not fit the crime, while the government was hoping for a sentence of up to nine-and-a-half years in prison.
The presiding judge, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, noted that the high level of violence of the attack needed to be appropriately punished. She also noted that Broidy’s pre-existing relationship with the RNC meant that the attack on the Capitol had implications beyond Broidy’s own individual actions.
Broidy is now the sixth individual that has been sentenced in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. His sentencing marks a significant moment for the ongoing judicial proceedings related to the Capitol attacks; his high-ranking political appointment serves as a reminder of the need to punish these crimes and prevent any future criminal behavior.