Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is recovering at his Bowling Green home after being physically assaulted Friday afternoon by a neighbor. The assailant – 59-year-old Rene Boucher – was arrested by Kentucky State Police and charged with fourth-degree assault, authorities said.
U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI are investigating the incident because assaulting a member of Congress is a federal crime.
“Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault,” his spokeswoman said Friday in a statement, adding that the senator is “fine.”
Doug Stafford, a senior adviser to Paul, said in a statement that the senator sustained five rib fractures, caused by high-velocity severe force and lung contusions. Stafford added that it is unclear when Paul would return to work because the pain associated with the injuries is considerable and could last weeks or months.
According to the arrest warrant, Boucher walked onto Paul’s property and tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground.
The motivation for the assault was not clear. Boucher and Paul live close to one another in the small neighborhood, although a friend of Paul’s told The Washington Post that the two hadn’t spoken in years.
“It is a pending, serious criminal matter involving state and federal authorities. We won’t have any further comments at this time,” Stafford told ABC News.
The FBI said in a statement that it is working with state and local partners to determine if there was a violation of federal law. U.S. Capitol Police said it would not comment on the ongoing investigation.
