Robert Palmer, 54, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced to 5 years 3 months in federal prison for repeatedly assaulting Capitol police during the January 6 insurrection.
It’s the longest sentence handed down to a Capitol rioter so far, and suggests what other violent Capitol rioters may face when their cases come before judges.
Palmer is the man seen in videos throwing a fire extinguisher at police officers. He also threw a metal pole at cops like a spear.
Shortly after the riot, he turned himself in, a rather empty gesture considering he was easily identifiable (see photo below). He pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, but the judge questioned his sincerity (see story here).
Palmer gave 5 years of his life to Trump. It’ll be interesting to see whether he gets Christmas cards from Trump in prison. Want to guess?
Trump demands loyalty, but gives none in return. If those who attacked the Capitol on his behalf — and many would argue at his behest — expected him to do something for them in return, they were badly (and sadly) mistaken.
To him, their loyalty isn’t worth even a Christmas card. He doesn’t deserve their loyalty, and they were misguided to give their loyalty to him. That was very poor judgment on their part.
They should have been loyal to our country and democratic system of government instead. Pledge of Allegiance, which we all learn to recite, is a pledge of loyalty to “the Republic” and an “indivisible nation” of “justice and liberty for all.”
They forgot all that on January 6.
Americans do not do a pledge to the Unites States. Expecting such is an afront to the Constitution. There are few if any duties required of any US citizen under our Constitution. The bill of rights means our government cannot expect our loyalty or us to be subservient to our government as other national constitutions demand.
Then what is this? “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
You mean Trump won’t send the Capitol rioter a “get out of jail free” card? Nope. Christmas card from Mar-a-Lago? Nope. Sucker loyalist gets nabbed. He is on his own, Jerome. Trump expects loyalty and doesn’t return loyalty. Those who break the law better hire a lawyer.