A suspicious package containing white powder and a threatening illustration arrived Monday at the Kentucky residence of Republican Sen. Rand Paul.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Capitol Hill police are investigating the package and the threat, according to Fox News.
The picture on top of the envelope shows a wounded Paul wearing a neck brace, arm cast, and leaning on a crutch, reported Fox News.
.@FoxNews has obtained this image of the death threat sent to @RandPaul‘s home along with a package filled with white powder. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/GpA4CevBS4
— Lawrence Smith (@LASmithReports) May 25, 2021
Underneath the illustration, a caption reads, “I’ll finish what your neighbor started you motherf—–.” (RELATED: Woman Arrested After Allegedly Threatening To Decapitate Sen. Susan Collins)
The FBI’s Louisville field office said it is “working with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the Capitol Police by providing forensic and technical assistance,” Fox News reported. The Capitol Police also said they were investigating the package.
I take these threats immensely seriously. As a repeated target of violence, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to encourage violence against me and my family. https://t.co/e1rQ6uwPdf
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 24, 2021
“I take these threats immensely seriously,” Paul wrote Tuesday in a Twitter post. “As a repeated target of violence, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to encourage violence against me and my family.”
“Just this weekend Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this despicable powder filled letter,” Paul said in a statement reported by Fox News.
Marx, a contemporary and pop-rock musical artist, tweeted Sunday, stating, “I’ll say it again: If I ever meet Rand Paul’s neighbor I’m going to hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume.”
I’ll say it again: If I ever meet Rand Paul’s neighbor I’m going to hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume.
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) May 23, 2021
Marx’s tweet was alluding to a 2017 incident in which Paul was assaulted by his neighbor. (FLASHBACK: Rand Paul Says He Feared For His Life When Neighbor Slammed Him Into Ground)
Rene Boucher, a vocally socialist neighbor of Paul, attacked him in 2017 over an alleged lawn dispute. Boucher severely injured Paul and broke five of his ribs. Doctors also had to remove a portion of the senator’s lung.
Boucher eventually pleaded guilty in March 2018 to attacking a member of Congress, causing personal injury. He received a sentence of 30 days imprisonment followed by a year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay Paul a total of over $580,000 in damages.
The picture on the envelope showing a wounded Paul was reportedly taken while the senator was still recovering from injuries caused by Boucher’s assault.