BUZZ
Key Takeaways
- Patrick Mahoney, a former Washington State Univ. teaching assistant, was sentenced to one week in jail for attacking student Jay Sani, who was wearing a Trump hat.
- The assault occurred when Mahoney forcibly removed Sani's hat and both Mahoney and another assistant, Gerald Hoff, physically attacked him.
- WSU terminated Mahoney's teaching responsibilities and fired Hoff, emphasizing its commitment to freedom of speech but intolerance for violence.
A former Washington State University teaching assistant who earlier this year attacked a student for wearing a Trump hat has been sentenced to one week in prison and a year’s probation.
The Spokesman-Review reports that back in February Patrick Mahoney and WSU research assistant Gerald Hoff were charged with fourth-degree assault for their actions against WSU student Jay Sani, head of the university’s College Republicans and secretary of its Turning Point USA chapter.
The fracas began when Mahoney (pictured) ripped off the “Trump 2024 TAKE AMERICA BACK” hat from Sani’s head and “toss[ed] it into the road.”
In response, Sani “slung his bag of food” at Mahoney, whereupon both Mahoney and Hoff took Sani to the ground and “each deliver[ed] a punch.”
Mahoney told police he had seen Sani on WSU’s campus and “knew he was a ‘right-wing dude.’” He added “You wanna wear the hat, hey, there’s gonna be a price to pay.”
Sani told the cops “Some people might find it offensive, but it’s 2025, man. It’s just a hat.”
Washington State ended up terminating Mahoney “of all teaching responsibilities” and firing Hoff. In a statement it said “While WSU remains committed to the freedom of speech and expression for all members of our university community, we will not tolerate acts of violence or hate speech.”
This past week, Mahoney was formally sentenced for his actions. Hoff avoided prison time.
Whitman County District Court Judge John Hart said “The court feels the state’s recommendation is not just reasonable, but perhaps less severe than I may have thought before they made it.”
Sani told the court Thursday that on paper, the assault might sound small, but the implications are “much bigger than it seems.”
“It’s about the treatment and fairness of discussions regardless of what your beliefs are,” he said. He asked Hart to impose the maximum punishment of one year in jail.
Sani told The Spokesman-Review after the court hearing the day in court was “emotional” for him and he had to go to class Thursday afternoon. He said the judge’s sentence was about what he expected, but he disagrees with it.
Mahoney’s attorney, Sandra Lockett, asked for Hart to impose credit for time served for the hours he spent in the police holding facility that night or for community service in lieu of jail time.
Lockett noted Mahoney “received several threats and harassing phone calls” following the incident. “What is not being spoken out loud is this is very political,” she said.
Mahoney told Judge Hart his actions were “an impulsive decision I made in a two-second window that I shouldn’t have made.”
Hart replied he “understood Mahoney’s regret,” but said “nonetheless, it was an unprovoked act of violence.”
