Congresswoman Fought Off Attacker With Hot Coffee

A few more details have emerged about the assault on congresswoman Angie Craig from Minnesota on Thursday morning. The most interesting: The 50-year-old told police she managed to fend off her attacker with hot coffee, reports the BBC. The incident took place a little after 7am in Craig's apartment building in Washington, DC. She first saw her assailant in the lobby of the building, and he was "acting erratic as if he was under the influence of an unknown substance," per the police report cited by NPR.

Craig says the man followed her into the elevator. After she said hello, he started doing pushups, then punched her in the chin and grabbed her neck, say police. At that point, she doused him with her coffee, and he exited the elevator. Police later arrested 26-year-old Kendrick Hamlin, who does not appear to have a permanent address. The attack does not appear to have been politically motivated.

To give you a sense of how strong (Craig) is, she went straight to the Hill this morning and attended a meeting in the Senate with the Governor and me and several members of our delegation about legislation for the people of her district," tweeted Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday. "No one messes with Angie." Craig, a Democrat and the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress from Minnesota, is in her third term. (More congresswoman stories.)