Pauline Bauer, a supporter of former US President Donald Trump, has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for her involvement in the riotous attack on the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021. Bauer had threatened to hang Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during the violence. Bauer was convicted of all five charges in her indictment, including obstructing the joint session of Congress that certified President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of six years and six months for Bauer, but US District Judge Trevor McFadden ended up sentencing her to a lesser jail term, with credit for time served. More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes in relation to the Capitol riot, and Bauer is among the latest to be sentenced.
Bauer’s actions were deemed to have put Pelosi’s life in danger, and prosecutors argued that Bauer should serve more than six years in federal prison. Bauer had used “sovereign citizen” extremist rhetoric and filed “nonsense” court documents. She claimed during her trial that she did not remember threatening Pelosi and that she intended no interference with the vote certification.
Bauer was part of the mob that forced police officers on the East Plaza to retreat, and she accosted officers who were trying to secure the Rotunda, shoving one of them, and yelled at police to “bring them out or we’re coming in,” while also yelling death threats against Nancy Pelosi. Prosecutors stated that Bauer’s threat to hang Speaker Pelosi was “real, imminent, and placed the Speaker of the House in danger,” and noted Bauer’s use of “sovereign citizen” extremist rhetoric. Bauer had attended a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, after attending a similar event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Over half of those charged with federal crimes in relation to the Capitol riot have already been sentenced to imprisonment ranging from one week to 18 years. Bauer is among them, as her sentence sends a message that violent acts like those committed on January 6 will not be tolerated. It also serves as a reminder that anyone who participates in such actions will face serious consequences for their actions.
In addition to Bauer, a former contractor for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC), Jessica Diane Higginbotham, has pleaded guilty to communicating a bomb threat against the Athens-Clarke County DSCC building. Higginbotham had offered a plan to bomb the campaign office during election campaigns in December 2022. Higginbotham’s charge could sentence her to up to five years in prison.
As these cases continue to be brought to court and sentencing is delivered, it is clear that those responsible for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol will be held accountable for their actions. The legal system is now tasked with following through on that promise, ensuring that justice is done in each and every case.
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