Former California Sen. Barbara Boxer mugged in Oakland, Trump denounces attack
Barbara Boxer, who represented California in the U.S. Senate for nearly a quarter-century before she retired in 2017, was mugged Monday in a waterfront area of Oakland, she said.
An assailant shoved the 80-year-old Democrat in the back, swiped her phone and hopped into a waiting car during the theft in the city’s Jack London Square neighborhood, according to a post on her Twitter account.
“She is thankful that she was not seriously injured,” Boxer’s account tweeted.
She said she was alone and talking on her phone when she faced the robber around 1:15 p.m. local time, according to KTVU.
“I was walking around this neighborhood that I love so much,” she told the station. “I just said, ‘How can you do this to a grandmother? I want to call my grandkids. Why are you doing this?’ He could care less and got in the car and they sped away.”
Earlier today former Senator Barbara Boxer was assaulted in the Jack London Square neighborhood of Oakland. The assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car. She is thankful that she was not seriously injured."
— Barbara Boxer (@BarbaraBoxer) July 26, 2021
Boxer was born in Brooklyn and carved out a legacy as a liberal giant of Congress, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993, and in the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2017.
Former President Donald Trump responded to the robbery in a blustery statement, claiming that Boxer was “savagely assaulted” and declaring, “We cannot let Communist Democrats destroy our great cities.”
