EXCLUSIVE: Washington State University fires staffers for assaulting student wearing a Trump cap

Phil Weiler, WSU Vice President for Marketing and Communications, said in a statement, "Washington State University (WSU) is aware of an off-campus incident that occurred last February involving a WSU staff member and a graduate student. After an investigation conducted by the City of Pullman’s police department, and in accordance with WSU policies, the staff member’s employment has been terminated.”

Weiler added, “The second individual involved was a graduate student serving as a teaching assistant. He was not a Washington State University professor. This person has been relieved of all teaching responsibilities.”

The statement noted that “WSU remains committed to fostering a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. We take every complaint and concern seriously and will continue to address such matters with the utmost priority."

In February, WSU junior Jay Sani was allegedly ambushed and assaulted by Patrick Mahoney and Gerald Hoff as he was headed home, wearing a red Trump hat, after getting a sandwich. Surveillance cameras captured the vicious beatdown in front of The Coug, a popular campus bar packed with students. The assault that left Sani with multiple scrapes and bruises.

Mahoney and Hoff were arrested by Pullman Police within hours of the assault. The two are now facing fourth-degree misdemeanor charges.

Sani, a Republican who volunteers with conservative groups on campus like Turning Point USA, told The Discovery Institute’s Jonathan Choe that he doesn’t know Hoff but has a history with Mahoney, a WSU graduate student and instructor who teaches political science classes.

Mahoney is a notorious far-left activist with strong ties to the Democratic Socialists of America and progressive labor groups. He publicly touts his admiration for the communist party, including wearing a hammer and sickle pin in his official school portrait. He is also a regular at pro-Hamas protests in the city. Recently, he was part of a group that was pressuring the Pullman City Council to pass a non-binding resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War. The proposal went nowhere.

Republican Congressman Michael Baumgartner, a WSU grad and a representative of Eastern Washington, said in a statement, “Our campuses should be places of free expression, not political violence. WSU must act swiftly to protect students and uphold the values of civility, safety, and constitutional freedom.”