Two staff members who work for Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after being assaulted in the congressman’s district office Monday morning, according to Connolly.
An individual with a baseball bat entered Connolly’s office and asked for the lawmaker before “committing an act of violence” against the two staff members, Connolly said in a statement released this afternoon.
“I have the best team in Congress,” Connolly added. “The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”
The suspect is in police custody.
The attack in Connolly’s office is the latest of multiple recent acts of political violence among threats to members of Congress, their staffs and families.
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In October, Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was hospitalized and had multiple surgeries after being attacked with a hammer. An assailant broke into the couple’s San Francisco home, looking for the lawmaker before attacking Paul Pelosi.
The number of threats against members of Congress have more than doubled in the last five years. While the number of threat investigations dipped slightly in 2022 from the year before, the caseload remains historically high, according to the U.S. Capitol Police.
“The threats against Members of Congress are still too high,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement. “This has resulted in a necessary expansion of, not only our investigative capabilities, but our protection responsibilities as well. While that work is ongoing, everyone continuing to decrease violent political rhetoric across the country is the best way to keep everyone safe.”
‘Very, very scary’
Connolly’s fellow lawmakers from Virginia and bipartisan members of Congress quickly condemned the attack and shared best wishes with the staffers.
Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer called the event “very, very scary” while Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger tweeted she was horrified by the news.
“I’m thinking of their team and I’m glad to hear that neither team member sustained life-threatening injuries,” she tweeted.
Virginia Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine also tweeted about the incident, with Warner calling the attack “an extraordinarily distributing development” and Kaine calling it “horrific.”
“Intimidation and violence- especially against public servants- has no place in our society,” Warner said.
Across the aisle, Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee tweeted in response that “acts of violence cannot be tolerated.”
Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal said that “violence is unacceptable.”
“We have to be clear that violence and hate are fueled by extreme MAGA right,” she tweeted.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he spoke with Connolly after the attack and has asked the House Sergeant at Arms and U.S. Capitol Police to continue to collaborate with members for their safety.
“The safety of our members and of our staff remains of paramount importance, particularly given the increased instances of political violence in our country,” he said in a statement.
This is breaking news, and this story is being updated.
