Trans Activist Gets Six Years for Plot to Assassinate Trump Treasury Secretary
A biological male identifying as a woman confessed to federal agents, “I was going to kill Scott Bessent”—and Tuesday’s sentencing delivered swift justice for the brazen assassination plot targeting President Trump’s Treasury Secretary.
Riley Jane English, 25, received a 63-month prison sentence for the calculated scheme to murder Bessent, marking yet another disturbing case of political violence from the radical left.
Justice Delayed, Not Denied
The sentence falls dramatically short of what prosecutors demanded. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro sought 121 months—more than 10 years—behind bars for English, who federal records identify as Ryan Michael English.
And Pirro was right to push for more time.
This wasn’t some spontaneous act. English spent weeks planning the attack, inspired by Luigi Mangione’s cold-blooded assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“I had been thinking about this for a while because of Luigi Mangione,” English admitted to investigators.
A Premeditated Attack on Democracy
The facts speak for themselves. On January 27, 2025, English drove from South Deerfield, Massachusetts to Washington with murder on the mind—literally.
The original hit list read like a who’s who of conservative leadership: House Speaker Mike Johnson, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and even the Heritage Foundation building itself.
But English zeroed in on Bessent after seeing him on television discussing the federal minimum wage.
“He said it with a smile on his face and that got under my skin,” English told police.
That’s right—a policy disagreement became a justification for murder in the twisted logic of radical activism.
Armed and Dangerous
When English approached a US Capitol Police officer that afternoon and announced, “I’d like to turn myself in,” officers discovered the tools of terror: a folding knife, two Molotov cocktails fashioned from Absolut vodka bottles, and a lighter.
Additional bomb-making materials waited in English’s vehicle.
A handwritten note revealed the ideology driving this violence: “This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters.”
There it is—the dehumanizing rhetoric that transforms political opponents into “nazis” and justifies any action, no matter how heinous.
The Transgender Violence Pattern
English’s defense attorneys pleaded for leniency, arguing their client suffered as a “young transsexual woman who has experienced trauma and suffering from the day she was born.”
Pirro rejected that excuse outright—and rightfully so.
Mental health struggles don’t justify terrorism. Period.
This case adds to a growing list of high-profile violent acts committed by individuals identifying as transgender or nonbinary. The pattern demands honest discussion, not politically correct silence.
The March 2023 Covenant School massacre in Nashville stands as the most tragic example—a transgender shooter murdered six innocent people, including three children.
When Debate Becomes Deadly
The Charlie Kirk assassination on September 10, 2025, represents perhaps the most chilling intersection of this debate with political violence.
Seconds before a gunman’s bullet struck him in the neck, Kirk answered an audience question about transgender mass shooters.
“Too many,” Kirk replied.
Those were among his final words.
The shooter’s timing wasn’t coincidental. Tyler Robinson allegedly targeted Kirk specifically for his political expression, particularly his views on LGBTQ issues.
The Inadequate Response
English ultimately abandoned the assassination plan after seeing Capitol security and “realizing other people could be harmed.”
How noble. English drew the line at collateral damage while plotting to murder a Cabinet secretary over a minimum wage comment.
“If all else fails, I was going to slit my wrists on the White House steps,” English told investigators, revealing the desperate attention-seeking that motivated this entire plot.
“You need to make one big dramatic f–king thing,” English explained.
That’s what this was really about—dramatic political theater with deadly consequences.
No Excuses for Political Violence
US Attorney Pirro got it exactly right: “Our system of justice depends on public officials being able to carry out their duties free from intimidation and fear.”
Every American should agree with that statement, regardless of party affiliation.
English’s guilty plea to unlawful firearm possession and carrying dangerous weapons on Capitol grounds came in March before US District Judge Rudolph Contreras.
The sentence sends a message, though perhaps not strong enough: political violence will be prosecuted.
The Irony They Won’t Mention
Here’s what the mainstream media conveniently ignores: Scott Bessent is an openly gay man married to John Freeman, a former New York City prosecutor.
So much for the narrative about “nazis killing my sisters.”
Bessent represents success, competence, and the American dream—a hedge fund manager who rose to lead the Treasury Department based on merit.
That’s what really triggered English’s rage: conservative success.
A Dangerous Precedent
English admitted having second thoughts after watching Mangione face justice: “That poor kid just threw his life away for like a minute of vengeance.”
Yet English proceeded anyway, right up until the moment courage failed and self-preservation kicked in.
Six years seems insufficient for plotting to assassinate a Cabinet secretary. The 10-year minimum prosecutors sought would have sent a stronger deterrent message.
The Bigger Picture
This case isn’t isolated. It’s part of a disturbing trend of political violence justified by increasingly extreme rhetoric.
When political opponents become “fascists” and “nazis” in activist language, violence becomes rationalized as resistance.
When identity politics elevates victim status above personal responsibility, accountability disappears.
When media figures lionize political violence—remember the sympathetic coverage of Mangione—copycats emerge.
What Must Happen Next
Congress must investigate the full scope of politically motivated violence and its ideological sources.
Social media platforms must crack down on content glorifying political assassination.
Mental health professionals must acknowledge uncomfortable truths about radicalization, regardless of the perpetrator’s identity.
And law enforcement must maintain vigilance protecting our elected officials and appointees.
The Bottom Line
Riley Jane English traveled hundreds of miles with weapons and a hit list targeting conservative leaders.
Only fear of consequences—not moral clarity—prevented this assassination attempt from becoming another American tragedy.
The six-year sentence delivers justice, but the cultural rot that produces such violence remains unaddressed.
Until we can honestly discuss all forms of political extremism—including violence committed by those the left considers victim classes—we remain vulnerable to the next radicalized activist who decides to “make one big dramatic f–king thing.”
Scott Bessent survived this plot. Charlie Kirk wasn’t so fortunate.
How many more attacks will it take before we demand accountability from the ideologues who inspire them?
