Man with baseball bat attacks Democrat Congressman’s staffers.

Virginia Congressman’s Staffers Attacked in District Office

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.)

reported on May 15 that two of his staffers were attacked in his district office. According to the congressman, an individual entered the office armed with a baseball bat and asked for him before committing an act of violence against two members of his staff. The attacker is now in police custody, and both staffers were transferred to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Right now, the focus is on ensuring that the injured staffers are receiving the care they need. The City of Fairfax Police Department and emergency medical professionals responded quickly, and the congressman expressed his gratitude for their efforts.

Connolly has represented Virginia’s 11th Congressional District since 2009 and serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees. He has a great team in Congress, and his district office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day. The thought that someone would take advantage of his staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.

The suspect, Xuan Kha Tran Pham, 49, faces one count each of aggravated malicious wounding and of malicious wounding. The congressman did not name the victimized staffers.

Members of Congress expressed outrage over the incident on Twitter. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said, “Intimidation and violence—especially against public servants—has no place in our society. This is an extraordinarily disturbing development, and my thoughts are with the staff members who were injured.”

What We Know:

• Two staffers in Rep. Gerry Connolly’s district office were attacked on May 15
• An individual entered the office armed with a baseball bat and asked for the congressman before committing an act of violence against the staffers
• The attacker is in police custody
• Both staffers were transferred to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries
• The suspect, Xuan Kha Tran Pham, 49, faces one count each of aggravated malicious wounding and of malicious wounding

Reaction:

Members of Congress expressed outrage over the incident on Twitter. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said, “Intimidation and violence—especially against public servants—has no place in our society. This is an extraordinarily disturbing development, and my thoughts are with the staff members who were injured.”

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