Rene Boucher, the man who attacked Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and broke six of his ribs, may be facing federal charges. According to Fox New's Shepard Smith, sources in Paul's office have been told to expect federal charges shortly. This means that Boucher's attack was politically motivated and was not the result of a "landscaping dispute." Boucher is Paul's next-door neighbor.
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This is pretty crazy if it's true. Since the New York Times first reported the "landscaping dispute" angle, his neighbors have come forward to say that Paul has been a pretty decent neighbor and that those allegations were incorrect. Boucher's lawyer issued a statement saying the attack was over a "trivial" manner and not over politics.
Paul himself has done some pretty sneaky subtweets, and tweeted links to two articles stating that the attack was likely politically motivated.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 8, 2017
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 8, 2017
If Paul were attacked by Boucher due to his political beliefs, that's a federal crime--so it makes sense as to why his lawyer would initially try to downplay any political component to the assault.
It remains to be seen if these charges will materialize, but in the meantime, Boucher has pleaded not guilty to fourth-degree assault. (Authorities say that those charges may be upgraded.)
In the meantime, let's hope Sen. Paul has a speedy recovery and is able to return to work shortly.