The Latest Development About the Man Who Assaulted a Dem Congresswoman Isn't Shocking

Matt Vespa | February 13, 2023 6:30 AM

Madeline wrote about the assault on Congresswoman Angie Craig (D-MN) last week. She was attacked inside the elevator of her apartment building in Washington, D.C. It’s a bizarre incident where the man who assaulted her greeted the member of Congress, started doing push-ups, and then got up and punched her in the face. Rep. Craig threw hot coffee on her assailant, who later fled. Police were dispatched to the scene and canvassed the area, but the suspect was nowhere nearby.

Kendrick Hamlin, 26, was arrested the next day, though police were initially not forthcoming about how they identified and arrested him. Hamlin is no stranger to authorities, having been in jail two months before he allegedly assaulted Congresswoman Craig (via Washington Free Beacon):

The Metropolitan Police Department announced Friday the arrest of Kendrick Hamlin, AKA Hamlin Khalil Hamlin, for assaulting Rep. Angie Craig (D., Minn.) in her apartment building’s elevator. Craig "suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically okay," a spokesman said following the attack.
Hamlin appears to be no stranger to the D.C. criminal justice system. A man by the same name was arrested last September on two charges of theft for stealing items from a Capitol Hill supermarket, which resulted in a three month saga of stints behind bars and several court appearances, records show. Court documents obtained by the Free Beacon show a man named Kendrid Hamlin also pled guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer in December last year.
Though there are slight variations of his name in records, a spokesman for the D.C. Courts told the Free Beacon that the arrests were both of the same man. He was ultimately released from custody in December with all charges dropped following a plea agreement.
The assault on Craig comes as Washington, D.C., revamps its criminal code in order to show offenders more leniency for a litany of offenses, including gun-related felonies. D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser initially vetoed the bill to dramatically change the city’s penal code but was overridden by the city council. Just a day prior to the attack, Craig voted with Republicans to condemn the D.C. government's move.