The mystery behind why Rand Paul's neighbor attacked him is deepening
- Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was assaulted by his next-door neighbor on Friday and the motives behind the attack are as of yet unclear.
- While some reports suggest the two were in a landscaping dispute, Paul's aides have indicated that this theory is false.
- Paul also tweeted on Wednesday that his injuries are more severe than he previously thought.
The mystery surrounding Friday's assault of Republican Sen. Rand Paul by his next-door neighbor is deepening as a motive for the violent attack remains elusive.
Some media reports have suggested that Rene Boucher, Paul's Bowling Green, Kentucky neighbor, attacked Paul as the result of a landscaping dispute, but on Wednesday, Paul's chief strategist, Doug Stafford, tweeted out a link to a Breitbart News article and a Washington Examiner story that cast doubt on this theory.
Some of Paul's neighbors told the outlets that reports of a landscaping dispute are "erroneous and unfounded."
"The Pauls are and always have been great neighbors and friends. They take pride in their property and maintain it accordingly," one neighbor, Travis Creed, told Breitbart. "Rand has enjoyed working on and maintaining his lawn for as long as I have known him. He was attacked on his property for no apparent reason and suffered serious injury. That is the only fact known at this time."
Paul's injuries are also more severe than reported both over the weekend and earlier this week. On Wednesday, Paul tweeted that he has six - rather than five - broken ribs and a pleural effusion, which is a fluid build-up around the lungs. His recovery will likely take months.
Police have charged Boucher, 59, with fourth-degree assault and the anesthesiologist has admitted to tackling Paul, who is an ophthalmologist. The two have been neighbors for 17 years.
Jeff Jones, a registered nurse who worked with Boucher, told The Washington Post that Boucher's politics were "liberal" and that Boucher "was active on social media and said some negative things about the Republican agenda" leading some to suggest that the attack was politically motivated.
But Boucher's lawyer said in a statement on Monday that the incident had "absolutely nothing to do with either's politics or political agendas" and described the dispute between the two men as "trivial."
Meanwhile Stafford said the charges against Boucher involve "state and federal authorities," but did not clarify why federal law enforcement would be involved in the matter.
Allan Smith contributed to this report.