Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was assaulted in his home on Friday evening. The senator was “blindsided” by his neighbor; he was tackled to the ground while he was outside mowing his lawn and suffered minor facial injuries. Police were called and the attacker submitted to police custody. The story was first reported by WBKO, the ABC affiliate in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The neighbor, 59 year old Rene Boucher, has been arrested and charged with 4th degree assault. Senator Paul’s injuries were minor, and he was not taken to the hospital following the altercation.
In a statement, Kelsey Cooper, Senator Paul’s State Communications Director, addressed the attack:
“Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault. The assailant was arrested and it is now a matter for the police.”
The Kentucky State Police have issued a statement indicating that Boucher and Paul were acquaintances. In addition, KSP Public Affairs Officer Trooper Hodges said that the police were looking further into the motivation behind the attack:
“FBI is involved, making sure it wasn’t politically motivated.”
If the attack was motivated politically, Boucher could have been from either side. Paul has been one of the few Republican Senators to actually speak out against President Donald Trump, including standing against Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. However, members of the far right, like Infowars host Alex Jones, have been quick to use Boucher as a stand in for the violent left.
Boucher is currently being held on a $5,000 bond. His court date is set for November 9. Neighbors told another local news station that Paul and Boucher had been engaged in an ongoing feud, and Boucher had been expressing frustration with President Trump on social media. However, no other information is currently available.
You can watch a a news story on the assault below:
Featured image via Flickr user Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0.
