Two members of Rep. Gerry Connolly’s (D-VA) district office staff were taken to the hospital after a person with a baseball bat attacked them while seeking the congressman.
Rep. Connolly said in a statement:
This morning, an individual entered my District Office armed with a baseball bat and asked for me before committing an act of violence against two members of my staff. The individual is in police custody and both members of my team were transferred to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Right now, our focus is on ensuring they are receiving the care they need. We are incredibly thankful to the City of Fairfax Police Department and emergency medical professionals for their quick response.
I have the best team in Congress. My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day. The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.
District office staff are a vital part of an elected official’s team. The people working in the local offices work with members of the community each day on issues big and small. Whether a person is having a problem with a government agency or needs some help getting some paperwork through the federal bureaucracy, a first stop is often the local district office of their member of Congress.
Republicans and some in the media suggest that political violence is a bipartisan problem, but if this is the case, why are Democrats the ones being attacked?
while we don’t know what this attackers motivations were it does seem like a coincidence that as media platforms Trump for the 2024 election, political violence becomes a bigger threat.
There is no place in the United States for political violence.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
