Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) was assaulted inside her Washington, D.C., apartment building on Thursday morning in an incident that her office says was not politically motivated.
Craig was physically assaulted inside an elevator as she was leaving her apartment building around 7:15 a.m. on Thursday, the Minnesota Democrat’s office said. Craig contacted the Metropolitan Police Department shortly after the attack, and law enforcement officials are currently investigating the incident.
DEMOCRATS VOICE SAFETY CONCERNS AHEAD OF BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
“Rep. Craig defended herself from the attacker and suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically okay,” Craig’s office said in a statement. “There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated.”
It’s not yet clear whether MPD officials have identified or apprehended a suspect in the attack. The Washington Examiner has contacted an MPD spokesperson for comment but not yet received a response.
The attack comes as law enforcement officials have warned of a rise in violence toward members of Congress, with the U.S. Capitol Police recording more than 9,000 threats against lawmakers in 2022.
"I cannot overstate the scope, breadth, and intensity of the nation’s current threat climate," USCP Chief Thomas Manger told the Senate in December. "Hate, intolerance, and violence are part of this disturbing trend."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Craig’s attack follows a series of high-profile assaults against lawmakers last year, including an instance in which Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) was attacked onstage during a campaign event in July. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) husband was also violently attacked last year inside the couple’s personal residence in California, prompting Manger to call for increased security measures for lawmakers.
"The attacks on Rep. Lee Zeldin and Paul Pelosi, as well as the threats directed towards other members of Congress, are a sad reminder of the extent to which our social fabric has frayed,” he said.