A large envelope filled with white powder was delivered to Ron Paul’s Kentucky home Monday and the senator seems to think pop singer Richard Marx, and a rude joke Marx told, is somehow responsible.
On Sunday, Marx tweeted, “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.”
The neighbor Marx is referring to broke several of Paul’s ribs after starting a fight with Paul over property rights. This in and of itself isn’t remotely evidence that Marx sent the suspicious package to Paul. But Paul still pretty much accused him anyway, telling Politico: “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. Just this weekend Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this powder-filled letter.”
Marx, whose songs like “Don’t Mean Nothing” and “Endless Summer Nights” lit up the Billboard charts in the 1980s and 90s, dismissed the accusation in a series of tweets Monday. In one response, he described the original tweet as a simple “wise crack.”
In a reply to another critic, Marx made the point that he’s far from the only person to ever make that joke, and added that his joke came in response to Paul publicly boasting about his decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The anonymous package, which is being investigated by the FBI, featured an image of a battered and bandaged Paul with a gun to his head with text reading: “I’ll finish what your neighbor started you motherf——“, per Fox News. According to U.S. Capitol Police, initial tests have revealed that the white substance inside is harmless.
“We are hoping to release more information this afternoon, once we get with the investigators to figure out what is releasable.” a Capitol Police spokesperson said.
