‘Not all heroes wear capes.’ KY Sen. Rand Paul performs Heimlich on a choking colleague

Republican Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, performed the Heimlich maneuver on Joni Ernst, a fellow senator who was choking on food, according to a report by multiple media outlets that was confirmed by Ernst on social media.

The news was first reported by POLITICO’s Burgess Everett on X, who said the incident happened during a Senate lunch. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Ernst’s Iowa colleague, noted the senators were enjoying chopped steaks from the Iowa Cattleman’s Association.

“Can’t help but choke on the woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats,” Ernst, an Iowa Republican, quipped in a social media post after Everett reported the news. “Thanks, Dr. @RandPaul!”

Ernst was OK, according to Everett’s report.

“God bless Rand Paul. I never thought I’d say that,” quipped Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who staunchly opposes Paul’s anti-interventionist foreign policy views.

Sen. Mike Lee, a Paul ally from Utah, dubbed the Kentuckian a “hero.”

“Not all heroes wear capes,” Lee said in a social media post. “Not all senators can quote Mises and Hayek -- while saving lives!”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 2:59 PM.