D.C. cops arrest man in attack on Rep. Angie Craig
Updated 9:41 p.m.
Minnesota U.S. Rep. Angie Craig was assaulted in the elevator of her apartment building Thursday morning in Washington. Her staff said she was bruised and shaken but otherwise OK, adding the attack did not appear to be politically motivated.
A District of Columbia police report said Craig was assaulted by a man who was in her building and acting erratically. He allegedly followed her into the elevator, then began doing pushups before punching Craig on her chin and grabbing her neck.
Craig, 50, defended herself, tossing hot coffee on the man, who fled. By late Thursday, D.C. police reported a 26-year-old man with “no fixed address” had been arrested and charged with simple assault.
Earlier in the day, Laura Cottrell, a spokesperson for the Minnesota 2nd District Democrat, told MPR News that Craig was able to go to work in the House and voted Thursday.
"I think Angie is physically going to be OK. Nobody knows at this point in time, that trauma that she's experiencing,” Gov. Tim Walz said later Thursday during a live forum in Washington with the news site Politico.
While this incident does not appear to be politically motivated, Walz said elected officials and the public need to focus on lowering the rhetoric because threats and encounters are "a strain on the democracy to say the least."
MPR News reporters Matt Sepic and Brian Bakst contributed to this report.
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