Kshama Sawant’s husband accused of assaulting 22-year-old staffer

Congressional candidate Kshama Sawant’s husband is facing assault charges after allegedly shoving a young staffer for a Washington Congressman in August.

Police video obtained by KOMO News showed Sawant’s husband, Calvin Priest, leading a group of protesters who forced their way into a Renton town hall meeting at the Renton Technical College held by Congressman Adam Smith, with whom Sawant is competing for a congressional seat. Priest, 54, pushed Smith’s 22-year-old staffer as she attempted to block him and the other protesters from entering.

The town hall was canceled once the protesters disrupted it, resulting in the arrest of Priest and two other protesters for trespassing.

According to KOMO News, the staffer showed police significant bruising on her arm.

“It shook (my staff member) up emotionally. I mean, you’re here at a public town hall meeting and someone is in your face, screaming at you, and then physically shoving you to the side. Public servants shouldn’t have to put up with that,” Smith told KOMO News. “This is not an effort to win an argument. This is an effort to use threats and intimidation to silence any opposition so that only your point of view gets heard. It is completely anti-democracy, and it’s a real threat to our country, to our ability to have a representative democracy where we get together, talk about issues, disagree, or argue in a civil way.”

Priest cut a deal with prosecutors — they’ll drop the charges if he stays out of trouble and likely completes community service. If he violates the agreement, a judge can convict him based on the police report. Priest is known to visit the Seattle City Council frequently, leading chants, protests, and disruptions of council meetings.

Sawant wasn’t at the event where the staffer was injured, and isn’t accused of any wrongdoing.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

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