https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rand_Paul#2017_assaultOn November 3, 2017, Paul was assaulted by a neighbor, Rene Boucher (then aged 59), a retired anesthesiologist. Paul, who is deaf in one ear,[259] was wearing noise-cancelling headphones while mowing his lawn, enabling Boucher to blindside Paul.[260]
Boucher was arrested and charged with one count of fourth-degree assault and released on a $7,500 bond. Paul sustained five broken ribs, of which three were displaced fractures.[261][262]
Voter records from March 2017 showed Boucher registered as a Democrat, but his attorney, Matthew Baker, said there was no political motivation for the assault, descripting it as "a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial".[262][263]
Boucher was originally charged in Kentucky state court,[264] but was later charged in federal court, where he ultimately pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress.[265] Boucher was sentenced to 30 days in prison, one year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $10,000 fine; prosecutors had sought a 21-month term and have appealed the sentence.[265] The state-court charge was dismissed after Boucher pleaded guilty to the federal charge.[265] On January 30, 2019, a jury award Paul $582,834 for punitive damages, pain and suffering, and medical expenses; Boucher's attorney indicated he would appeal.[266] In August 2019, part of Paul's lung required removal as a result of the injuries he suffered during the attack.[267]
I saw an interview of Rand Paul with his wife today, within the last few weeks, he had to have part of one of his lungs removed because the puncture of it by one of his broken ribs wouldn't heal, and thus had to be removed to eliminate chronic infection. Even two years later, he is weakened and not fully recovered.
And the punishment for the clear
attempted murder of Rand Paul,
of a United States Senator is... 30 days in jail?
30 days?!?
Rand Paul has been sentenced to pain and injuries that will last at least 36 times the sentence to his would-be killer.
As Rand Paul says, he had no idea that this neighbor even disliked or harbored hostility toward him. Rand Paul is deaf in one ear and was mowing his lawn, wearing sound-muffling protective headphones when this neighbor blindsided him from behind. As Sen. Paul says, the injuries were sustained before he even realized he was being attacked. And yet the judge mitigates the jail sentence, saying they were "injuries sustained during a conflict". But there was no mutual conflict, Sen. Paul was completely on the receiving end of the assault.
And oh yes, I'm so sure that this jerk was a rabid Democrat had nothing to do with the assault.
Any more than Hodgekinson's rabid leftism and volunteering for Bernie Sanders had anything to do with his shooting up a House Republican baseball game.
Part of the reason these Democrat attacks on Republicans continue and are increasing is there is no deterrant criminal penalty for these crimes. When you try to kill a U.S. Senator, there should damn well be a heavy penalty.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politic...eighbor-n839366 "Assaulting a member of Congress is an offense we take very seriously," said Josh Minkler, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "Those who choose to commit such an act will be held accountable."
Not seriously enough, apparently.
Earlier accounts of the incident suggested bad blood between the neighbors, who have known each other for roughly 17 years, including a dispute over a property line and possible distaste for Paul's politics, as well as those of his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul.
However, federal prosecutors on Friday said Boucher admitted the assault but denied it was politically motivated. Boucher's lawyer also denied previously that politics had anything to go with the fight.
Boucher denied a political motivation, because to admit that would have definitely warranted a much longer sentence. My impression is that he paid more in damages to Senator Paul to get a much lighter jail sentence.
