Federal authorities filed a criminal complaint Thursday against a man who charged at Rep. Ilhan Omar with a plastic syringe full of vinegar at a town hall in Minneapolis.
In an extraordinary sign of the strained relationship between federal agencies and their state and local counterparts, however, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that her prosecutors also charged the man Thursday and aren’t working with their federal counterparts on the case. The reason, according to Moriarty: A state conviction isn’t subject to a presidential pardon.
In the federal case, Anthony Kazmierczak was charged with forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding or intimidating an officer and employee of the United States. Kazmierczak was sitting in the audience of a room where Omar was speaking Tuesday before he ran at her, video of the confrontation shows.
Omar appeared startled, then stepped toward Kazmierczak with her fist raised and yelled as security personnel knocked him to the ground.
She returned to the podium and was quickly surrounded by aides who encouraged her to stop the event, but she continued.
Omar said the liquid stained her clothes and possibly reached her face and eye.
A hazardous materials specialist with the North Metro Chemical Assessment Team tested the substance and determined it was a combination of apple cider vinegar and water, but it has been sent to a state laboratory for further testing, according to an FBI affidavit filed with the complaint.
Kazmierczak allegedly told a close associate years ago that “somebody should kill that bitch” in reference to Omar, FBI agent Derek Fossi said in the affidavit.
Kazmierczak, who has been jailed since he was arrested, was due to make his first federal court appearance Thursday.
Moriarty said her office was charging Kazmierczak with threats of violence and fifth-degree assault. The former is a felony, she said, “and a successful prosecution will result in a state-level conviction that is not subject to a presidential pardon, now or in the future.”
Moriarty explained that her office is not working with the federal government on this case because of its actions during the ongoing immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis.
“The trust of our community in the federal government keeping politics out of public safety has been eroded by their actions,” she said. “While we have historically worked collaboratively with federal agencies to investigate crimes, that partnership has been damaged by political decisions coming from this administration.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.