Rand Paul talks about November attack

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul and his wife opened up about the November attack by their neighbor that landed the Kentucky Republican in the hospital with six broken ribs and a struggle with chronic pneumonia — ostensibly over a yard dispute.

In an interview with WKBO in Kentucky posted Tuesday, Paul’s wife, Kelley, became emotional as she talked about her husband’s injuries and the “ridicule” he received from the media after their neighbor, Rene Boucher, 60, tackled Paul to the ground outside his home in Bowling Green, Ky., breaking his ribs.

“Nobody deserves this. He certainly did not,” Kelley Paul said.

“Seeing Rand suffer in that kind of pain and have that level of injury and then see people in the media ridicule it or make fun of it — me, as his wife, who loves Rand and is seeing him suffer like that, that was extremely hurtful.”

Boucher has been sentenced to 30 days in prison. He pleaded guilty to felony assault for tackling the senator off his lawn mower after he had “had enough” of seeing Paul’s “unsightly” yard trimmings piled on Paul’s side of their property line.

Federal attorneys and Paul have appealed the sentencing, arguing that it should be extended to the 21 months they originally asked for.

Boucher, who pleaded guilty in January, has denied the tackle was politically motivated — even as neighbors disputed media reports about the seriousness of the yard battle. If evidence showed it was politically motivated, Boucher would face far harsher penalties since Paul is an elected official in the federal government.

Paul and Boucher have sued and countersued each other over the incident and the yard dispute.