‘My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree’
By 
A satanic display for Christmas on display in the Iowa state Capitol in December 2023.
(NEW YORK POST) — A former Republican congressional candidate avoided a hate crime charge after being accused of vandalizing a Satanic Temple of Iowa statue that was part of a holiday display at the state capitol.
Michael Cassidy, a Navy Reserve veteran from Mississippi, pleaded guilty Friday to misdemeanor criminal mischief as part of a plea agreement to have the felony hate crime charge dropped, the Des Moines Register reported.
Cassidy, 36, admitted that he “partially dismantled a display in the Iowa State Capitol Building, without a right/license to do so,” according to a court filing.