A Chevy Chase woman accused of assaulting White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway in a Bethesda Mexican restaurant last fall is asking that her case be heard by a Montgomery County jury.
Mary Elizabeth Inabinett, 63, was charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault following the Oct. 14 incident inside Uncle Julio’s Mexican from Scratch restaurant.
Conway, a top aide to President Trump, was having dinner at the restaurant when Inabinett approached her yelling “shame on you” and other politically charged comments, according to charging documents.
Conway alleged Inabinett also grabbed her arms from behind and shook her.
In an interview with CNN, which first reported the allegations in February, Conway said the woman “was out of control. I don’t even know how to explain her to you. She was just, her whole face was terror and anger. She was right here, and my daughter was right there. She ought to pay for that.”
Police identified Inabinett Nov. 8 with help from restaurant staff and a video taken by Conway’s daughter.
Inabinett’s attorney this week declined comment on any aspect of the case and said his client would not comment. He has said Inabinett will plead not guilty to the charges.
Online court records show Inabinett, who was scheduled to appear in District Court this week for an initial hearing, filed a request for a jury trial on March 20.
Criminal cases are presented before a 12-member jury and her trial has been scheduled for mid-April.
All defendants are entitled to a jury trial and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office is handling the case as it would any other, despite Conway’s notoriety, spokesman Ramon Korionoff said.
An email request for comment sent to the White House press office Thursday and forwarded to Conway’s office did not receive a reply.
There have several confrontations of Trump staffers, including press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ being asked to leave a Virginia restaurant and protesters yelling at Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen at a Mexican restaurant in the District, according to news accounts.
Charlie Wright can be reached at charlie.wright@moco360.media
