BOWLING
GREEN, Ky. — An assault of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul by a longtime next-door neighbor
was not motivated by political differences but by a dispute "most
people
would find trivial," an attorney for the man charged in the attack said
Monday.
Attorney
Matt Baker did not say what dispute prompted the attack that stunned the
Bowling Green community and left Paul, 54, with five broken ribs.
Police
charged 59-year-old Rene Boucher with misdemeanor fourth-degree assault with a
minor injury. Records show he was released from jail on Saturday on a $7,500
bond. He has not returned multiple calls seeking comment.
Boucher and
Paul have been neighbors for 17 years, the attorney said. Paul is an
ophthalmologist and Boucher is an anesthesiologist. Baker called them
"both prominent members of the medical community" who "worked
together when they were both practicing physicians."
"The
unfortunate occurrence of Nov. 3 has absolutely nothing to do with either's
politics or political agendas. It was a very regrettable dispute between two
neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial," Baker
said in an email to The Associated Press. "We sincerely hope that Sen.
Paul is doing well and that these two gentlemen can get back to being neighbors
as quickly as possible."
Baker said
in an interview later, "This is just a profoundly unfortunate set of
circumstances that I'm sure that if everyone had it to do over again, it would
be done completely differently." He declined to say what might have
triggered the incident, adding he thinks he has a "pretty good idea."
"I'd
like to do my due diligence before I'm any more specific," Baker said.
Doug
Stafford, Paul's senior adviser, called the case a "serious criminal
matter involving state and federal authorities." He has said the attack
could potentially lead to "life-threatening injuries."
State police
asked at least one reporter to leave the gated neighborhood Monday afternoon.
A friend of
Paul's told The Washington Post that the senator was mowing his lawn at the
time of the attack. According to an arrest warrant, Paul told police Boucher
came onto his property and tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground.
Stafford
said Paul's injuries were caused by "high velocity severe force." He
said it's unclear when Paul could return to work. He said Paul is in
considerable pain and having trouble getting around.
Baker said
Boucher didn't suffer any injuries.
Paul's
absence from the Senate creates another challenge for a slim Republican
majority that's caused heartburn for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. On
Monday, McConnell wished his fellow Kentuckian a speedy recovery and said the
GOP "need all hands on deck, all the time."
"Every
day's a Maalox moment," McConnell joked, before turning serious about the
ramifications of having a Republican member away from the Senate for a
prolonged time.
"I've
got a 52 to 48 majority, and as you saw on several occasions, we're not always
totally in lockstep," he said. "Anytime we have a senator on our side
who's not there, it's potentially a challenge."
Asked if he
might have to delay some votes, McConnell said: "I haven't had a chance to
check with him (Paul) yet today about it."
___
Beam
reported from Frankfort, Kentucky. Beam can be reached at
https://twitter.com/adambeam.
AP
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