US woman sentenced to over six years for assassination attempt on Treasury Secretary Bessent

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — A US court has sentenced Riley English to six years and one month in prison for attempting to assassinate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. According to court records, English told Capitol Police in Washington on January 27, 2025, that she had traveled from Massachusetts to kill Bessent. English was found carrying two improvised incendiary devices, a knife and a lighter, and admitted planning to attack the Treasury secretary during his confirmation proceedings. The court noted that the devices were not functional and that no one was injured in the incident. During the hearing, English described experiencing a severe psychological crisis and drug addiction, and said she did not intend to harm anyone. Her defense attorney argued that fear over the second Trump administration's policies toward transgender individuals had triggered the act. Prosecutors said English had spent more than a month planning the attempt and had sought a 10-year sentence. The court credited the 20 months she has already spent in pretrial detention toward her final term.