Prosecutors recommending 3-plus years in jail for man who pleaded guilty in Rep. Angie Craig assault

Prosecutors are recommending more than three years of jail time for the man who assaulted Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) in her Washington, D.C., apartment earlier this year.

Craig was assaulted in her apartment building’s elevator in February, her office confirmed. Her chief of staff previously noted that the attack did not appear to be politically motivated.

The lawmaker filed a report with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and said the assailant was “acting erratic.” The attack left her bruised, but she was generally fine, her staff confirmed.

In June, Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 27, pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress, as well as law enforcement officials.

Prosecutors for Craig recommended the court imposes a 39-month sentencing for Hamlin, followed by three years of a supervised release.  

“The defendant’s early morning assault of woman in her own apartment building elevator transformed an everyday ritual, going to get a morning cup of coffee, into a traumatic ordeal that has caused lasting emotional damage,” prosecutors said in their recommendation.

Prosecutors said Craig was punched in the face and her assailant prevented her from making an escape.

“Representative Craig suffered bodily injury, which required minor medical treatment, and to this day, experiences the trauma associated with being a victim of a violent crime,” prosecutors argued.

Hamlin allegedly followed the Minnesota lawmaker into her apartment’s elevator on Feb. 9 and told her he was coming into her building to use the bathroom.

Hamlin’s attorneys told The Associated Press he had “accepted responsibility for his action today with the earnest hope of moving towards rehabilitation and the mental health treatment he very much wants and needs.”

Asked for comment, Craig’s office said she is planning to submit a victim impact statement next week but has no plans to make a public statement at this time.

—Updated at 12:03 p.m.