Two congressional staffers for Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) were hospitalized on Monday after an individual wielding a baseball bat reportedly entered his district office and assaulted them.
The perpetrator, whose name has not been released, entered the office in northern Virginia and "asked" to see Connolly before committing the act of violence. Fortunately, the injuries sustained by the staffers are "non-life threatening," according to Connolly. The police quickly apprehended the suspect, who is a constituent of Connolly's, though the motive behind the attack is not yet known.
Connolly expressed his shock and dismay at the incident, stating that his staff makes themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day, and the thought that someone would take advantage of their accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) connected the attack to "increased instances of political violence," though the motive behind this particular attack is not yet known.
Unfortunately, members of Congress and their staff have been subjected to an increasing amount of violence in recent years. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R) was nearly killed when a gunman opened fire on him and other Republican lawmakers in 2017.
Now-former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) was attacked while running for governor last year. The husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was injured in a brutal attack last year, and Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) was violently assaulted in February in an elevator.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of members of Congress and their staff, who do not travel with security details unless they are senior leadership. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has spoken to the House sergeant-at-arms and Capitol police and asked them to continue "collaborating with our members." The police have not yet released the charges that the suspect will face.
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