Sen. Rand Paul has returned to the Senate, 10 days after his neighbor attacked him from behind and broke six of his ribs. In a statement put out on Twitter, Paul said that he's still in a "good deal of pain," but would be coming back to work on Monday in spite of this.
Paul said he was going to be "ready to fight for liberty" and also work on the upcoming tax reform efforts.
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
The lawyer for Paul's neighbor/assailant, Rene Boucher, denies that the attack was politically motivated, and instead said that it stemmed from a "landscaping dispute." While Paul has not gone on the record to dispute this, he did send a pretty sneaky message when he tweeted links to two articles saying that it wasn't a fight over landscaping.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 8, 2017
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 8, 2017
Boucher has pleaded not guilty to fourth-degree assault, but federal charges may be coming if it is determined that Paul was attacked for his political views. (This is likely why his lawywer was so quick to insist that the matter was not political.)
Among the people who congratulated Paul on his return to the Senate was House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who himself missed three months of work after he was shot and nearly killed at practice for the Congressional Baseball Game.
Welcome back! https://t.co/n6N0v8RYas
— Rep. Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) November 13, 2017
Our best wishes for a speedy recovery, Sen. Paul.