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Sen. Rand Paul’s neighbor sentenced to 30 days for …

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's neighbor has been sentenced to 30 days in prison for attacking him in a dispute over yard waste, and the Republican lawmaker says he's fine with that.

Rene Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress. Boucher complained that Paul stacked debris near their property line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Paul said he hadn't spoken to Boucher for years.

Boucher said he spoke with members of the homeowner's association about his complaint, but a Paul spokesman says the senator didn't hear from the association. Paul's statement says "any description of this attack that implies a 'yard dispute' justifies such violence and misses the point."

According to the arrest warrant for Boucher, Paul suffered "small cuts to the nose and mouth area, and had trouble breathing." The attack left Paul withsix broken ribs, cuts on his face and fluid buildup in his chest. He was later diagnosed with pneumonia.

U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani called November's attack a "dispute between neighbors" and an "isolated incident," not motivated by politics. Boucher also must serve a year of supervised release. Federal prosecutors sought 21 months, but a statement from Paul calls 30 days "appropriate."

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Sen. Rand Paul's neighbor sentenced to 30 days for ...

Neighbor who attacked Sen. Rand Paul was upset over yard …

Rene Boucher, left, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday for his assault on U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. (Daily News of Bowling Green/AP, File)

A neighbor who attacked U.S. Sen. Rand Paul at his Kentucky home last fall "lost his temper" over yard debris that Paul allegedly placed on the property line between their homes, according to documents filed in federal court last week.

The neighbor, Dr. Rene Boucher, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress in connection with the Nov. 3 confrontation and is due to be sentenced Friday. Prosecutors are seeking a 21-month prison sentence. Boucher is asking a judge to grant probation in the case.

A sentencing memorandum filed by Boucher's attorney, Matt Baker, said Paul repeatedly placed "unsightly" yard debris near the property line. On the day before the attack, Boucher burned some debris left by Paul, according to the document obtained by the Daily News of Bowling Green. The next day, Paul placed more debris on the spot where the pile had been burned, it said.

The filing argued that putting Boucher in prison would serve no useful purpose.

"Other than the isolated incident that is in issue, Dr. Boucher has been a pillar of his community, a solid citizen, a family man and a devout Christian," Baker wrote.

It said the disagreement over yard debris dates back to September 2017, when Paul piled a 10-foot-wide stack of limbs onto a spot near Boucher's property. The pile sat until October, when Boucher picked it up and hauled it away in portable dumpsters.

"Even though this debris was not on Dr. Boucher's property, he viewed it as unsightly as it was placed directly in his line of sight from his patio and the back door of his house," the court record said.

Two more piles of debris appeared in the same month, and Boucher burned the pile on Nov. 2. Boucher used gasoline and suffered second-degree burns that he needed treatment for, the memorandum said.

The next day, Paul used his lawnmower to blow leaves onto Boucher's yard and then made another branch pile in the same spot, it said.

"As Dr. Boucher has stated throughout, he lost his temper and tackled Rand Paul as Paul was carrying branches from another location on his property and placing them on the property line," the memorandum said.

Boucher also denied that the dispute was fueled by political differences with Paul, a Republican.

"Dr. Boucher has adamantly denied any such political motivations throughout, as even the suggestion of them is completely unfounded and simply not true," the memorandum said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Neighbor who attacked Sen. Rand Paul was upset over yard ...

We Finally Know Why Rand Paul’s Neighbor Attacked Him …

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was left with six broken ribs, including three displaced fractures, and months of intense pain that felt like 1,000 knives after his neighbor attacked him last year. The assailant, Dr. Rene Boucher, attacked Paul while he was mowing his lawn. The senator had just stepped off the lawn mower and was wearing silencing earmuffs and never saw or heard his neighbor coming.

Contrary to original rumors, Boucher's attack on the senator was not about politics. He was upset about yard debris, according to new court documents. From the Associated Press:

It said the disagreement over yard debris dates back to September 2017, when Paul piled a 10-foot-wide (3-meter-wide) stack of limbs onto a spot near Bouchers property. The pile sat until October, when Boucher picked it up and hauled it away in portable dumpsters.

Even though this debris was not on Dr. Bouchers property, he viewed it as unsightly as it was placed directly in his line of sight from his patio and the back door of his house, the court record said.

Two more piles of debris appeared in the same month, and Boucher burned the pile on Nov. 2. Boucher used gasoline and suffered second-degree burns that he needed treatment for, the memorandum said.

The next day, Paul used his lawnmower to blow leaves onto Bouchers yard and then made another branch pile in the same spot, it said.

As Dr. Boucher has stated throughout, he lost his temper and tackled Rand Paul as Paul was carrying branches from another location on his property and placing them on the property line, the memorandum said.

Boucher, formally requested to be placed on probation in court on Friday. Special Prosecutor Bradley Shepard had his own request: a 21-month prison sentence. Sentencing is this Friday.

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We Finally Know Why Rand Paul's Neighbor Attacked Him ...

Rand Paul warns against president’s unlimited war powers …

Sen. Rand Paul said Tuesday he believes President Trump understands Congress is the body that authorizes war not the president as lawmakers begin to debate whether to extend war powers to Mr. Trump for use against the Islamic State.

Lawmakers will hold a hearing Wednesday as they weigh updating the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which granted the president permission to go after terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and then to unseat Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

In the years since, however, al Qaeda has changed, and the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has arisen as the new global terrorist network, including claiming responsibility for this weeks attack in Britain.

Some legal analysts have suggested the current AUMF doesnt authorize strikes against the Islamic State, and lawmakers are proposing new legislation to update the presidents authority.

But Mr. Paul has warned some of the new proposals pushed by his colleagues would give the president unlimited war powers.

I do think the president is with me on this on the Constitution. Our founding fathers are with me on this too, Mr. Paul told Fox News Tuesday.

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Rand Paul warns against president's unlimited war powers ...

Sen. Rand Paul blasts Bill Clinton over Monica Lewinsky remark

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., departs after a vote on Gina Haspel to be CIA director, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 17, 2018 in Washington.(Photo: Alex Brandon, AP)

Sen. Rand Paul is not happy with former President Bill Clinton.

The Kentucky Republican slammed Clinton on Twitter after he said during a TV interview that he doesnt owe Monica Lewinsky, the former White House intern that he had an affair with, an apology.

Bill Clinton epitomizes the aggressor, not the victim, Paul tweeted Tuesday. You cant have an appropriate or consensual relationship with an intern.

He continued: "That is the definition of sexual harassment.#GiveMeABreak.

Clinton made the remark on NBC's Todayshow.He was respondingto a question from host Craig Melvin about an op-ed Lewinsky wrotewhere she questioned consent in her relationship with the former president in light of the #MeToo movement.

Melvin asked Clinton if he felt like he owed her an apology.

"No, I do I do not," Clinton responded. "I've never talked to her. But I did say, publicly, on more than one occasion, that I was sorry. That's very different. The apology was public."

Clinton admitted to having a sexual relationship with Lewinsky, who was22 years old at the time, when she was an intern. The infamous affair triggered impeachment hearings and public outlashagainst the president.

Clinton said on NBC that he did the right thing by not resigning.

"I dealt with it 20 years ago plus," Clinton said during the interview. And the American people, two-thirds of them stayed with me. And I've tried to do a good job since then with my life and with my work. That's all I have to say to you."

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Sen. Rand Paul blasts Bill Clinton over Monica Lewinsky remark