Man who attacked Virginia congressman's staffers with bat found not guilty by reason of insanity

A Virginia judge has accepted an insanity plea from the man who last year attacked staffers for Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly with a bat at a district office.

The Fairfax County judge ruled Monday that Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 50, of Fairfax, was not guilty of charges including malicious wounding and assault by reason of insanity.

The May 2023 attack injured two Connolly staffers. 

“Mr. Pham’s history of mental illness is well documented and lasts today, Connolly said in a statement. "I pray he continues to receive the institutional treatment he needs so that he does not harm anyone else or himself. As a community, however, we must recognize the serious consequences of the inflammatory and violent rhetoric that is too frequently expressed by too many people."