It’s also undeniable that Dunn’s airborne-footlong protest, video of which went viral, became an unlikely symbol of local resistance to the Trump administration during its crackdown on DC this summer, precisely because of the disconnect between the seriousness of the incident and the government’s response… [US Attorney for DC Jeanine] Pirro’s office was unable to get a grand jury to OK felony charges against Dunn, though, and proceeded with misdemeanor charges anyway. The trial, which began this week, was suitably absurd, with Customs and Border Patrol Agent Gregory Lairmore, who received the unwanted delivery of Dunn’s dinner, testifying that the sandwich “kind of exploded all over my uniform”—despite photos that showed it still in its wrapper on the ground afterward, prompting jokes like “If the sandwich don’t split, you must acquit.” On Thursday, a DC jury apparently agreed with that formulation. A federal jury outside of D.C. in Virginia returned a not guilty verdict in the case of a man alleged to have solicited Trump’s assassination with social media posts… Ahead of trial, Dunn’s defense lawyers called his prosecution “a blatant abuse of power.” They argued that the government “has chosen to bring a criminal case over conduct so minor it would be comical — were it not for the unmistakable retaliatory motive behind it and the resulting risk to Mr. Dunn.” They noted that he “tossed a sandwich at a fully armed, heavily protected Customs and Border Protection” officer, but they maintained that “that act alone would never have drawn a federal charge.
Author: Anne Laurie
Published at: 2025-11-06 21:50:23
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