Thread by @JordanOnRecord

Starting now: A sentencing hearing for Robert Scott Palmer, of Tampa. The DOJ says he should serve the longest prison term yet in a #CapitolRiot case. wusa9.com/article/news/n… @wusa9 @EricFlackTV

Palmer is asking for a downward variance to a sentence of 24 months in prison. You can read his sentencing memo here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…

"When you threw the plank and the fire extinguisher at the officer, were you acting in self-defense?" Judge Chutkan asks Palmer.

"No your honor, I was not," he says.

Judge Chutkan admonishes Palmer not to communicate with anyone in the audience and that anyone who tries to talk to him could face discipline.

Judge Chutkan denies Robert Palmer's motion for a downward variance.

Judge Chutkan says whatever difficulties Palmer may have faced as a child, they weren't why he was at the Capitol on January 6. "Mr. Palmer didn't like the result [of the election] and he didn't like that his guy lost!"

Judge Chutkan says Palmer is correct that the people who encouraged him and others to take the Capitol haven't been charged yet: "But I don't think that fact means you should get a lower sentence."

"When you left that rally, and went to the Capitol and saw what was going on and engaged in combat with officers... that's what you're being sentenced for," Judge Chutkan says.

Robert Palmer's son, Robert Scott Palmer Jr., is speaking now as a character witness.

"I do not in any way condone the actions here," he says. Notes that he's had minimal contact with his father since his plea hearing.

Robert Palmer's son calls January 6 "unacceptable... but a brief moment in time." Asks Judge Chutkan to believe his contrition and desire to take responsibility for what he did.

Robert Palmer himself is going to speak now.

"Your honor, I'm really, really ashamed of what I did," he says. Says he had a long speech he was going to read, but he saw a news clip about his case while he was in jail and was "horrified" of the video of himself. #CapitolRiot

"Those officers were just so brave standing there and taking everything people were giving them. The taunts. The jeers," Palmer says.

Palmer's attorney, Bjorn Brunvand, says what happened at the Capitol *was* a reflection of the anger Palmer has felt since his childhood. Suggests his sentence should require mental health counseling.

Brunvand says Palmer made the decision to go off his meds sometime around the period of his detention. He also had urine thrown at him in jail.

Judge Chutkan says people get "very siloed" in where they get their information from. "It gets very easy to see others not as people."

Judge Chutkan: "January 6 was not a protest. It was a violent attempt to overthrow the duly elected government."

Judge Chutkan says the men and women who made sure democracy continued functioning on January 6 "deserve the thanks of this nation." Not the attacks they have continued to receive.

Judge Chutkan says Robert Palmer has already received "significant concessions" (from the DOJ) considering the seriousness of his actions. Now, it's fallen to her to consider deterrence.

🚨 SENTENCE: U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan sentences Robert Scott Palmer to 63 months in prison for one count of assaulting police with a dangerous weapon. He will have to serve 36 months of supervised release once out. #CapitolRiot @wusa9 @EricFlackTV

"Mr. Palmer, you've expressed remorse. And by all appearances, it's genuine. I hope it is. I cannot look into your heart or your mind," Judge Chutkan says. "It is the way we pick ourselves up after our mistakes that shows our character."

MORE: My colleagues at @10TampaBay wrote about today's sentencing for Robert Scott Palmer – now serving the longest sentence to date for a #CapitolRiot defendant. wtsp.com/article/news/r…