Rand Paul has surgery to remove part of his lung after 2017 assault

August 5, 2019

Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul underwent surgery over the weekend to remove part of his lung, which was damaged during an assault at his home in 2017. The Republican is currently home for August recess but said he had to limit his activities because of the medical procedure.

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. The doctors, nurses, & staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were great. I should be able to return to the Senate in September

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 5, 2019

“The doctors, nurses, & staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were great. I should be able to return to the Senate in September,” he tweeted. Paul had previously undergone hernia surgery at a private hospital in Canada because of the injuries he suffered when his neighbor, Rene Boucher, tackled him while he was doing yard work at his Kentucky home.

Boucher broke several of Paul’s ribs in the assault. He pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress and was sentenced to 30 days in prison. Federal prosecutors appealed the sentence, saying 21-months would have been appropriate. Boucher said he lost his temper because Paul had stacked debris near their shared property line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Kentucky Republican sued Boucher last year, seeking damages for physical pain and mental suffering from the attack.