Former Trump State Dept. Aide Gets 70 Months in Prison Over Jan. 6

Facts

• Federico Klein, the first Trump administration employee to be arrested following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, was sentenced to 70 months in prison on Friday after being charged with eight felony counts including the assault of law enforcement officers, obstructing an official proceeding, and related misdemeanors.¹
• The official, who stepped down from his position in the US Dept. of State a day before Pres. Joe Biden's inauguration has additionally been ordered to pay a $3K fine, and $2K in restitution. Klein did not testify during his trial.²
• Trump-appointed US District Judge Trevor McFadden rejected a request from federal prosecutors for a ten-year prison term for Klein, a US Marine Corps veteran who served as a political appointee under former Pres. Donald Trump.³
• His lawyer, Stanley E. Woodward Jr., declined to comment after the sentencing. He had asked for 40 days in prison, with credit for time served, and three years of probation — arguing that Klein should be judged for his actions rather than for his professional status.⁴
• McFadden also sentenced military veteran Steven Cappuccio to 85 months in jail for attacking Officer Daniel Hodges, tearing at his gas mask in the Lower West Tunnel leading into the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots.⁵
• Klein is among over 1.2K people who have been charged criminally over the election-related unrest in Washington, D.C., including Trump, who was indicted in August.⁶

Sources: ¹New York Post, ²Forbes, ³Newsmax, ⁴The New York Times, ⁵NBC and ⁶Politico.

Narratives

• Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Klein not only violated the Hatch Act, which limits the participation of government employees in partisan politics but also attacked several police officers with a stolen riot shield as he led the violent mob storming the Capitol. It's disturbing that someone who held a top-secret security clearance and had a clear understanding that this unrest was a coup attempt was capable of such actions.
• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by The Gateway Pundit. Klein was among several demonstrators who sought to defend themselves during the Jan. 6 riot while being indiscriminately attacked by police in the Capitol's Lower West Tunnel. Individuals should have been judged for their specific actions, not as a part of a publicity stunt to deter the general public.

Predictions