Rand Paul contradicts assault story, says injuries are worse than reported

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tweeted Wednesday about the final report of his injuries sustained at the hands of his neighbor, and they are worse than previously reported. He also confirmed a story from Breitbart News contradicting the "landscaping" narrative explaining the motive behind the attack.

What did he say?

Paul tweeted, "I appreciate all of the support from everyone."

"A medical update: final report indicates six broken ribs & new X-ray shows a pleural effusion," he added.

The first reports from the assault were that he had only received minor injuries, but later they were corrected to indicate that he had broken five ribs. Now Paul confirms that he has six broken ribs.

Paul was mowing his lawn when he was "blind-sided" and tackled by 59-year-old Rene Boucher, his neighbor.

Was the attack over a landscaping dispute?

No. According to a report from Breitbart News, the motive had nothing to do with a landscaping dispute between Paul and his neighbor, and the motive was still unknown. Paul retweeted the report in what can be taken as confirmation.

“As a friend and neighbor of the Paul family, I have been disturbed by the inaccuracies in numerous media accounts of the assault that occurred on Friday, November 3rd,” wrote Travis Creed in a statement to Breitbart News.

“The stories of a ‘landscaping dispute’, or a dispute of any sort between Rand Paul and Rene Boucher are erroneous and unfounded," he explained. "The reason for Mr. Boucher’s bizarre attack is known only to him. Statements to the contrary are irresponsible and unnecessary.” The reported added other statements from Paul's neighbors that corroborated Creed's opinion.

Paul's political strategist, Paul Stafford, had told the media that Paul was in a lot of a pain Sunday. “This type of injury is caused by high velocity severe force. It is not clear exactly how soon he will return to work, as the pain is considerable as is the difficulty in getting around, including flying."

Boucher was arrested for fourth-degree assault, and was released on a $7,500 bond.