The blood on the rug and walls of Rep. Gerald E. Connolly’s Fairfax, Va., office can be cleaned. The shattered glass can be repaired.
But the emotional toll of the recent assault on two staffers by a bat-wielding constituent is far greater than the temporary damage to the office.
“It’s going to be months of recovering,” Connolly told CQ Roll Call, a little more than a week after the attack. “Meanwhile we’re supposed to still do the job. They’re more than a little afraid of answering the door for strangers or of going to events, or even just dealing in-person with people.”
