D.C. Man Goes on Trial Over Sandwich Throw

Sean C. Dunn, a former Justice Department paralegal nicknamed the sandwich guy, went on trial Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., on a misdemeanor assault charge for throwing a foot-long Subway salami sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent in August after a grand jury declined to indict him on felony counts. A close-range video of the throw went viral and Dunn has become a local symbol of opposition to President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops and federal agents to the capital, inspiring murals, stickers and costumes. Prosecutors from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office say Dunn assaulted a federal officer performing official duties; his lawyers call the prosecution selective and vindictive and tied to his outspoken criticism of the administration. His arrest involved a heavily armed federal response and he was later fired from his DOJ job, and the case has prompted debate over bringing relatively minor incidents into federal court and disputes over jury instructions on the legal definition of misdemeanor assault. Observers say securing a conviction may be difficult in a city broadly resistant to the federal enforcement surge.