Sen. Rand Paul said he doesn’t know the motive behind the surprise attack outside his home that left him with six broken ribs, and he doesn’t really care.
“There is no justification for something like that,” the Kentucky Republican told The Washington Examiner in his first interview since the assault less than two weeks ago.
“From my perspective, I’m not really too concerned about what someone’s motive is,” he said. “I’m just concerned that I was attacked from the back and somebody broke six of my ribs and gave me a damaged lung where at least for now I have trouble speaking and breathing and now I’ve hurt for 10 days.”
The senator arrived in Washington on Monday for a week of critical votes after he was reportedly attacked from behind on Nov. 3 while mowing his lawn in his gated community near Bowling Green, leaving him with six broken ribs and lacerations on his lungs.
Mr. Paul’s next-door neighbor of 17 years, former anesthesiologist Rene Boucher, has pleaded not guilty to one count of misdemeanor assault.
Mr. Boucher’s lawyer said politics were not the motive for the attack, despite his client’s history of anti-Trump and anti-Republican social media posts, The Examiner reported.
Several neighbors have also disputed early claims that the attack was related to a landscaping disagreement.
Regardless, Mr. Paul said there’s no explanation that would excuse the attack.
“Really if you told me he was doing it for some noble cause to feed starving children somewhere, there is no motive,” he told The Examiner, pausing often to catch his breath. “There is no motive that would justify hitting somebody from behind and breaking their ribs and damaging their lungs, so no, there is no justification for something like that.”
Mr. Paul said he hasn’t talked to Mr. Boucher in a decade.
“My first encounter was basically being hit in the back,” he said. “We’ve never had words over anything, we’ve never had a dispute or discussion or words.”
Mr. Paul said he’s feeling less pain now but is still “having trouble completing sentences” because of difficulty breathing.
Kelley and I want to thank everyone once again for your thoughts and prayers for my recovery. While I’m still in a good deal of pain, I will be returning to work in the Senate today, ready to fight for liberty and help move forward with tax cuts in the coming days and weeks.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 13, 2017
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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