Court Battles

Man accused of spraying Omar with apple cider vinegar plans to plead guilty

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by Sophie Brams - 04/23/26 10:40 PM ET

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by Sophie Brams - 04/23/26 10:40 PM ET

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The man accused of spraying Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) with apple cider vinegar during a January town hall in her Minnesota district has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, according to court filings.

Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, is expected to change his plea to guilty during a May 7 hearing in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minn. It was not immediately clear what the terms of the agreement were, and his court-appointed attorney declined to provide further details to The Hill.

Kazmierczak initially pleaded not guilty in March to charges of forcibly assaulting and interfering with a United States officer in connection with the Jan. 27 incident, according to authorities. He has remained in jail since his arrest.

Kazmierczak was tackled to the ground after police said he used a syringe to spray a liquid toward Omar in a chaotic scene captured on livestream.

A criminal complaint states that he shouted “She’s [Kristi Noem] not resigning” and “You’re splitting Minnesotans apart” at Omar, who was standing at a podium a few feet away before advancing toward her and being brought down by two security officers.

Omar continued with the town hall after Kazmierczak was taken from the room, saying Minnesotans would “stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.” She was not injured in the attack.

“I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from my doing work. I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong,” Omar wrote in a post on the social platform X at the time.

The complaint also noted that Kazmierczak had previously made threatening comments referencing Omar, including allegedly telling an associate several years ago that “somebody should kill” her.

He reportedly hinted that he “might get arrested” in a text asking a neighbor to watch his dog while he went to see Omar speak, according to the New York Post.

Several GOP lawmakers rushed to condemn the incident as unacceptable after it happened. However, President Trump struck a different tone, suggesting, without evidence, that it was staged.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) later said he had not seen “any evidence” that Omar orchestrated the attack.

“I don’t have any evidence to believe that’s true. Look, we deal with member security issues that arise. I called her, as I do any member who has a situation like that,” Johnson told reporters in the Capitol on Jan. 29.

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