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.”
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 49-year-old Xuan Kha Tran Pham of Fairfax, Virginia. He is facing two charges, including one count of aggravated malicious wounding and one count of malicious wounding.
His motive was not immediately clear, the United States Capitol Police confirmed in a statement on Monday. Capitol Police and the Fairfax City Police Department are investigating the assault.
Connolly told CNN that the attacker hit a senior aide in the head with the metal bat as well as an intern, who was on her first day of the job, in the side with the bat.
“He was filled with out-of-control rage,” Connolly told CNN, adding that the assailant also damaged the office, shattering glass in a conference room and breaking computers.
Threats increase
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.
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.
In March, a member of Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s staff was “randomly and brutally attacked” in Washington, D.C.
Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was assaulted in her Washington apartment building in February, suffering only bruises from the attack. There was no evidence that the attack was politically motivated, according to Craig’s chief of staff.
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The number of threats against members of Congress have more than doubled in the past 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 Sens. 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.
