The Facts
On Monday, US Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) announced that a man armed with a baseball bat had walked into his district office in Fairfax and violently attacked two of his staff members.
The assailant struck one senior aide in the head and a first-day intern in the side — both were transferred to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He also caused material damage by shattering glass in a conference room and breaking computers.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Prominent Democrats and left-leaning figures have been targeted in increasing numbers of attacks in recent months, yet their right-wing fellows have consistently failed to condemn political violence, even making jokes about such incidents. It is no wonder that the suspect in the latest attack on Democrats is a far-right conspiracy theorist who claimed he has been secretly surveilled and "tortured from the fourth dimension."
Republican narrative
Though this incident is indeed worrisome, it is vital to stress that Democrats have been trying to deceive the public into believing that mounting attacks on members of Congress reflect some organized action against their ranks. In fact, both sides of the political spectrum have suffered from threats and violence, evident in the brutal attack on the aide to Republican Sen. Rand Paul.
