Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) revealed on Monday that one of his staffers was attacked in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
The employee, who was not identified, is recovering and a suspect has been arrested, the lawmaker said in a statement.
“This past weekend a member of my staff was brutally attacked in broad daylight in Washington, D.C.,” Paul said.
“I ask you to join Kelley and me in praying for a speedy and complete recovery, and thanking the first responders, hospital staff, and police for their diligent actions,” Paul added, referring to his wife.
“We are relieved to hear the suspect has been arrested. At this time we would ask for privacy so everyone can focus on healing and recovery,” Paul concluded.
Reporters said Paul’s office confirmed the employee was the same person who D.C. police said was attacked on H Street NE on Saturday.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the victim was stabbed and treated at a hospital for life-threatening injuries.
A police news release on Monday said a man, identified as 42-year-old Glynn Neal of Southeast D.C., was arrested and charged with Assault with Intent to Kill (Knife).
A staffer for Sen. Rand Paul was attacked with a knife in a brutal attack in Washington D.C. this weekend, @ABC News confirms.
The staffer during the H street attack was bleeding from the head. pic.twitter.com/vkAdcjP5pW
— Beatrice-Elizabeth Peterson (@MissBeaE) March 27, 2023
The attack took place in the days following President Joe Biden signing a measure that blocked changes to the D.C. criminal code that critics regarded as being too soft on crime.
Republicans had been joined by some Democrats in Congress in taking a stand against changes that included reducing minimum sentences for some violent crimes.
A House Democrat, Angie Craig of Minnesota, made headlines last month after she was violently assaulted in an elevator at her apartment building in D.C. Police arrested a homeless man, 26-year-old Kendrick Hamlin, in connection to that attack.
Paul himself was grievously injured, suffering multiple broken ribs, due to an assault in 2017 by a neighbor in Kentucky.
In 2020, Paul said he and his wife were “attacked by an angry mob” after leaving the White House where they attended a speech by then-President Donald Trump for the Republican National Convention.
