Democratic Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig was reportedly assaulted on Thursday in the elevator of her apartment building in Washington, D.C.
Craig’s staff said in a statement that she managed to defend herself by tossing coffee at the attacker.
“This morning around 7:15 a.m., Rep. Craig was assaulted in the elevator of her apartment building in Washington, DC,” Craig chief of staff Nick Coe said in the statement. “Rep. Craig defended herself from the attacker and suffered bruising, but is otherwise physically okay.”
Coe said Craig called 911 and the assailant fled, adding that the attack doesn’t appear to have been politically motivated.
“Rep. Craig is grateful to the DC Metropolitan Police Department for their quick response and asks for privacy at this time,” the chief of staff continued.
According to the police report, Craig, a 50-year-old third-term House member, informed authorities that she saw someone acting erratically in the lobby who seemed to be under the influence of an unknown narcotic.
In the elevator, the attacker allegedly hit Craig in the chin area and held her neck. The complaint also stated that the Minnesota Democrat fought back by hurling hot coffee at the attacker.
This comes as threats against members of Congress have ramped up since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. Official statistics show that there were 6,955 threats in 2019, 5,206 in 2018, and 3,939 in 2017.
“Overall, during the last couple of decades the Threat Assessment Section’s caseload has increased because people on social media have a false sense of anonymity and feel more emboldened,” Dr. Mario Scalora, the U.S. Capitol Police’s consulting psychologist, said on the agency’s website. “This is not a problem we can only arrest our way out of.”
Most recently, Paul Pelosi, husband of Nancy Pelosi, was attacked on Oct. 29 when conspiracy theorist David DePape barged his way into the residence in search of the then-Speaker of the House.
DePape has since pleaded not guilty to six charges, including attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary, elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and threatening a family member of a public official.
