A new report claims that a Washington State University instructor and another university employee were arrested after assaulting a student in February for wearing a hat in support of President Donald Trump.
According to Turning Point USA’s Frontlines, Jay Sani, a student at Washington State University, said he was assaulted in February outside “The Coug” campus bar, by college instructor Patrick Mahoney and Gerald Hoff, another university employee. Sani claimed the two men attacked him and forcibly removed his red “Trump 2024 Take America Back” hat.
Frontlines reported that Sani said the college instructor took his hat off, threw it on the ground, and said, “Go get it, b-tch” before punching him multiple times in the back. Sani said he was also kicked multiple times by Hoff while Mahoney grabbed his chest and forced him onto the ground. A video shared by Frontlines shows multiple bruises Sani attributed to the February assault incident.
According to Frontlines, police officials police officials were able to locate both attackers within hours of the assault. The outlet noted that Mahoney told police officials he had previously seen Sani on campus and knew he was a “right-wing dude.”
The college instructor told police officials that he grabbed the student’s hat, threw it, and told him, “Go get it.” Meanwhile, Hoff told police officials, “We did grab him and threw him to the ground.”
While the two suspects admitted to forcibly removing Sani’s hat, Mahoney claimed he did not hit the student and that he did not believe he had committed an illegal act. The college instructor added that Sani “got what’s coming to him.”
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According to Frontlines, Mahoney and Hoff were arrested in connection with February’s incident and charged with fourth-degree misdemeanor assault. The outlet noted that Mahoney was temporarily suspended from teaching by Washington Statue University after the assault incident; however, Sani indicated that the professor could be reinstated soon.
“He really shouldn’t be teaching here in my opinion,” Sani said. “Because you know, if you can’t tolerate different opinions…then what’s the point?”
Frontlines reported that Sani participates in Turning Point USA and other conservative groups at Washington State University. On the other hand, the outlet identified Mahoney as a left-wing graduate student and political science instructor who has participated in pro-Palestinian protests and is linked to Democratic Socialists of America and other left-wing groups.
According to Frontlines, Mahoney also seems to publicly support communism. As an example, the outlet included Mahoney’s official university picture, which features the communist hammer and sickle pin, in its video report.
Sani told the outlet, “Mahoney’s goal is to turn this country into a communist dictatorship or a communist authoritarian system.”
