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Rand Paul Strategist Says Top Marco Rubio Official ‘Assaulted’ Him at Bar: ‘I Have It on Video’ (UPDATE: Alleged Video Surfaces)

Rand Paul Strategist Says Top Marco Rubio Official ‘Assaulted’ Him at Bar: ‘I Have It on Video’ (UPDATE: Alleged Video Surfaces)

"The state police are looking for him."

UPDATE 2:23 p.m. ET: The owner of Horn's Bar owner, Patti Ann Moskwa, added to ABC News that "this was all blown out of proportion."

"It was like they were playing tag and they know each other and they’ve worked together. This was all blown out of proportion. It’s all on video we have cameras," Moskwa told ABC News. "There is no story. In fact, we all sat around, we were laughing about it. We were playing tag in the restaurant going, 'You’re it.' We’re having a ball."

She added to ABC News that "it's two guys just arguing about something, you know — something about politics ... And then they’re laughing later!"

Mackinac Island Police Chief Brett Riccinto told ABC News a complaint was filed for an alleged assault and the county prosecutor is reviewing it.

Rubio's campaign told ABC News they haven't yet spoken to Beeson and that he and Yob , who was allegedly punched, know each other.

UPDATE 1:02 p.m. ET: Security video has surfaced purportedly showing Marco Rubio's deputy campaign manager throwing a punch at a strategist for Rand Paul in a Michigan bar Thursday.

The clip has been featured in several news outlets, including the Guardian and National Journal.

Ines de La Cuetara, an ABC campaign reporter, tweeted that Rubio's camp is looking for more information:

She added that the owner of Horn's Bar said the incident was "nothing":

Paul’s campaign told TheBlaze Friday that they have no comment. Neither the bar manager nor police immediately returned a request for comment from TheBlaze on Friday.

Original story below

A strategist for Rand Paul is alleging that Marco Rubio's deputy campaign manager punched him in the face in a Michigan bar Thursday night.

John Yob (Image source: YouTube)

"Last night I went to a bar on Mackinac Island for the GOP Mackinac Conference," John Yob, Paul's national political director, posted on Facebook Friday morning. "I ran into a guy named Rich Beeson, who frankly I didn't even know who it was at first because he isn't relevant in our political world. Anyway, he is Marco Rubio's national campaign manager. He literally physically assaulted me by punching me in the face. The state police are looking for him. I have it on video, from multiple angles. This will play out in the national media in the next few hours."

Despite the rival campaign staffers involved, a "source" told MLive that the incident appeared to be personal, not political. Yob and Beeson apparently exchanged words earlier in the evening, the newspaper reported.

Neither the Paul nor Rubio campaigns immediately returned a request for comment from TheBlaze.

The Mackinac Island Police Department wouldn't discuss the alleged incident with MLive. "Anytime there's an investigation, no comment until we get everything straightened out," an officer said.

West Michigan Politics blogger Brandon Hall wrote Friday morning that he saw the incident at Horn's Bar.

"Beeson missed a full-on shot but still struck Yob's in the face with a powerful blow near the jaw," he wrote.

The conference is set to begin Friday afternoon. Paul is scheduled to speak; Rubio is not.

Beeson was a top aide on Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Follow Dave Urbanski (@DaveVUrbanski) on Twitter

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Dave Urbanski

Dave Urbanski

Sr. Editor, News

Dave Urbanski is a senior editor for Blaze News.
@DaveVUrbanski →