Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) revealed Monday that he may only return to the U.S. Senate in September after undergoing surgery over the weekend to remove a part of his lung damaged during his 2017 assault by a neighbor.
“Unfortunately, I will have to limit my August activities. Part of my lung damaged by the 2017 assault had to be removed by surgery this weekend,” Paul wrote on Twitter. “The doctors, nurses, & staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were great. I should be able to return to the Senate in September.”
The Republican senator suffered multiple broken ribs and contracted pneumonia after being tackled in his yard by his neighbor in 2017. Rene Boucher pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges of assaulting a member of Congress. Paul was awarded more than $580,000 in damages and medical expenses in his lawsuit against Boucher. A jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, deliberated less than two hours before delivering the award to the Republican lawmaker. Paul had testified during the three-day trial that he feared for his life as he struggled to breathe after Boucher, an anesthesiologist by trade, slammed into him in their upscale Bowling Green neighborhood.
Paul’s announcement comes after fellow Republican Kentucky senator, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, was treated and released from the hospital after tripping on his patio at his home on Sunday.
“The leader will continue to work from home,” a McConnell spokesperson said in a statement.
The AP contributed to this report.