Posted by Jack
by Steven Benen, MSNBC
There were some odd reports on Saturday about Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) being assaulted at his Kentucky home late last week, but a spokesperson for the Republican senator said he was “fine.” The Kentucky State Police added that Paul suffered “a minor injury.”
By yesterday afternoon, our understanding of what transpired was quite a bit different.
Sen. Rand Paul was “blindsided” and broke five ribs when he was tackled by a neighbor at his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky, police and an aide to Paul said Sunday.
Rene Boucher, 59, of Bowling Green, was charged with one count of fourth-degree assault in the incident, which occurred at about 3:20 p.m. (4:20 p.m. ET) Friday, Kentucky State Police said.
According to a spokesperson for the senator, Paul suffered five rib fractures, including three displaced fractures, and it’s “not clear exactly how soon he will return to work.”
State police indicated that the FBI is involved in the investigation, which makes sense given the fact that a sitting senator was apparently the victim of a violent assault.
And I’ll look forward to learning the results of that investigation, because what we know at this point is quite bizarre.
Three days after the incident, we don’t know, for example, why in the world Rand Paul’s neighbor felt the need to tackle him from behind while the senator mowed his lawn. We also don’t know why the initial reports about the severity of the senator’s injuries were so wrong.
A Washington Post report added:
The nature of the dispute between Paul and Boucher remained a mystery Sunday to locals who know both men as medical professionals based in this southwestern Kentucky town.”
Paul is an ophthalmologist who has practiced in town since moving here with his wife in 1993…. Boucher is an anesthesiologist and the inventor of the Therm-a-Vest, a cloth vest partly filled with rice and secured with Velcro straps that is designed to help with back pain. He has worked at several local medical facilities through the years, according to public health records.
David Ciochetty, a doctor with Interventional Pain Specialists in Bowling Green, said in an interview Sunday that Boucher worked there as a “general pain medicine physician” for about a year and a half beginning in January 2010 before leaving.
I’m not going to speculate without more information, but let’s note for the record that any politically motivated violence against elected officials is outrageous and fundamentally at odds with how a healthy democracy is supposed to function.
Reports I read late last night included the following:
It is very strange. What political thing could have prompted this sudden attack? The House had just passed tax reform. Legislation was proposed to end the death panel portion of Obamacare. Other than those two things I can’t think of a political motivation…except for the general hatred the left has for the right.
Rand Paul mows his own lawn? Good for him.
There’s a lot to be like about the feisty Mr. Paul and a lot not to be, if you are on the other side of his politics. But, he has done nothing to my knowledge to warrant being attacked so severely that his ribs were broken.
The motive for this attack is still yet to be disclosed, but the fact the attacker was a Bernie Sanders supporter is suspicious. That does put him at polar opposite with Mr. Paul’s politics.
I also know that many Sanders supporter are livid that he lost to Donald Trump and oddly they blame Republicans, not their candidate and not the Clinton machine that took control of the Democrat Party during the primary, thereby swaying favor (money) away from Sanders to Hillary.
Could this be what it’s all about? Is this just an extension of the crazy ANTIFA mentality that is trying to stir up trouble? Stay tuned, we’ll find out soon enough.