Sen. Rand Paul

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The FBI is now assisting local police investigating a brutal assault that left Sen. Rand Paul with five broken ribs, lung contusions and injuries to his face on the lawn of his Kentucky home.

The violent attack was prompted by a dispute between the Republican senator and his neighbor over landscaping, the New York Times reports. 

Authorities said Paul was attacked while mowing his lawn and wearing ear plugs.

“Rand never saw him coming or heard him coming,” according to the senator’s friend, Robert Porter, who visited Paul on Saturday.

The neighbor, Rene Albert Boucher, 59, was charged with one count of fourth-degree assault.