A top surrogate for Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign allegedly punched one of Sen. Rand Paul’s strategists right in the kisser a Republican gathering Thursday night.
The Detroit Free Press and other Michigan news outlets reported that John Yob, a top aide to Mr. Paul, said that a member of the Rubio camp punched him in the face.
Mr. Yob shared his story via Facebook, saying he was assaulted inside the popular Horn’s Bar on Mackinac Island, the location of the biennial GOP Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference.
“I ran into a guy named Rich Beeson, who frankly I didn’t even know who it was at first because he isn’t relevant in our political world. Anyway, he is Marco Rubio’s national campaign manager. He literally physically assaulted me by punching me in the face,” Mr. Yob said. “The state police are looking for him. I have it on video, from multiple angles. This will play out in the national media in the next few hours.”
Mackinac Island police Chief Brett Riccinto said the incident has been overblown.
“It wasn’t a brawl,” Chief Riccinto told The Guardian. “If anything, it was a shove. Literally, it was a shove. This thing has been blown way, way, way out of proportion.”
Mr. Paul is scheduled to speak at the conference, while Mr. Rubio is not, the local ABC News affiliate reported.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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