WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was assaulted in her Washington apartment building on Thursday, suffering bruises while escaping serious injury in an attack that did not appear to be politically motivated, her chief of staff said.
Craig was assaulted in the elevator at about 7:15 a.m., called 911 and the assailant fled, Nick Coe said in a statement.
“Rep. Craig defended herself from the attacker and suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically okay,” he added. “There is no evidence that the incident was politically motivated.”
According to a D.C. police report, the representative told police she saw the man in the lobby area of the apartment building acting erratically and that he followed her into the elevator after she said “Good morning” to him. Once inside, she said the man began to do push-ups, then started attacking her, punching her on the chin with a closed fist and grabbing her neck.
The report says the representative defended herself by tossing her hot coffee on him.
The attacker ran off before police arrived.
D.C. police later released photos of the suspect taken from a surveillance camera.
MPD seeks the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect responsible for a Simple Assault that occurred this morning in the 300 block of H Street, NE, involving a member of Congress.
Have info? Call (202) 727-9099/text 50411 pic.twitter.com/ZDYbodVsw7
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) February 9, 2023
The attack followed an assault on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in their San Francisco home in October by a man who told police his motive was political and that his intended target was the speaker.
Members of Congress have faced a sharp rise in threats since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. Capitol Police investigated nearly 10,000 threats to members last year, more than twice the number from four years earlier.
Craig won a third term in November in the suburban-to-rural 2nd District south of Minneapolis and St. Paul in one of the most expensive House races in the country, frustrating the GOP’s best hope of flipping a Minnesota seat in an election that gave Republicans a narrow House majority.
Coe said Craig is grateful for the quick response from the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department and has asked for privacy.
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