In a courtroom that has seen its share of political storms, one of Washington’s strangest trials unfolded this week — over a flying sandwich.
Sean Dunn, once a Justice Department staffer handling international cases, is accused of launching a sub sandwich at a federal agent during a tense summer marked by then-President Donald Trump’s “law-and-order” crackdown in the capital. The viral clip of the moment turned Dunn into an improbable protest icon and a lightning rod for outrage from Trump-era officials.
Prosecutors told the jury that Dunn’s act was more than symbolic. “You can’t go around throwing stuff at people when you’re mad,” declared the government’s attorney, calling the sandwich toss a clear-cut case of assault.
The video, captured on a Washington street in August 2020, shows Dunn shouting expletives before flinging the sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer patrolling the area. It struck the officer squarely, splattering his uniform with onions and mustard — a detail that made its way, almost absurdly, into the official record.
Dunn has pleaded not guilty. His defense attorney, Julia Gatto, didn’t dispute the act itself. “He did it. He threw the sandwich,” she told jurors. But, she argued, “This was not a weapon. It was a harmless expression of anger — a protest against policies he believed were racist and authoritarian.”
The prosecution initially sought a felony charge but backed down after a grand jury refused to indict on that level, leaving Dunn to face a misdemeanor assault count instead.
Agent Gregory Lairmore, a 23-year veteran of the border agency and the man who wore the sandwich, testified that he felt the impact through his ballistic vest. “It hit me hard,” he said, recalling the sudden burst of mustard.
For Dunn, what began as a spur-of-the-moment act of defiance has become a lasting reminder that in Washington, even lunch can be political — and sometimes, criminal.
