Last week, pop singer Richard Marx, known mostly for his 1980s rock ballads, celebrated the neighbor who attacked Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), causing six broken ribs, which later necessitated the removal of part of Paul’s lung.
“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,” tweeted Marx.
Marx also previously tweeted in January: “My wish for 2021 is that Rand Paul’s neighbor moves next door to Ted Cruz.”
My wish for 2021 is that Rand Paul’s neighbor moves next door to Ted Cruz.
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) January 7, 2021
Though Marx was not technically calling for violence against Rand Paul, he was undoubtedly celebrating violence against him, showing no remorse or reverence for the fact that a man had caused severe bodily damage to a duly elected senator. Shortly after Marx made his declaration about Rand Paul’s neighbor, the senator received a white powder substance in the mail, prompting Paul to publicly rebuke Richard Marx without mentioning him by name.
“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,” tweeted Paul.
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
Comedian Stephen Colbert, however, believed Richard Marx did nothing wrong and invited the singer onto his show, allowing him to plug his memoir and upcoming concert dates.
“Richard Marx has over 300,000 followers on Twitter; I believe they’re called Marxists,” said Colbert. “And with that kind of social media platform, you have to be careful about what you say. Still, to think that Richard Marx is dangerous is just ridiculous.”
.@richardmarx breaks into our broadcast to address Sen. Rand Paul. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/bXvzY04qug
— A Late Show (@colbertlateshow) May 26, 2021
As noted by Christian Toto of HollywoodInToto, Stephen Colbert previously offered no pushback to Vice President Kamala Harris, then-senator, when she said that riots over the death of George Floyd were “not going to stop.”
“They’re not going to stop … This is a movement, I’m telling you. They’re not going to stop and everyone beware, because they’re not going to stop,” she said. “They’re not going to stop before Election Day in November and they’re not going to stop after Election Day. Everyone should take note of that on both levels. They’re not going to let up, and they should not and we should not.”
In 2019, Rand Paul underwent surgery to have a part of his lung removed as a result of the felony assault committed by his neighbor Rene Boucher, a Democrat.
“The Kentucky senator told police that his neighbor ‘came onto his property and tackled him from behind, forcing him to the ground and causing pain.’ The attack left him with six broken ribs, pleural effusion, and, consequently, pneumonia,” reported The Daily Wire. “Rene Boucher, 59, was arrested in November 2017 after he attacked Paul outside his Bowling Green, Kentucky, home. He was reportedly upset after Paul blew some leaves onto his property with his lawnmower. The judge presiding over the case referred to the attack as a ‘dispute between neighbors’ and denied that it was politically motivated.”