A New Hampshire state senator, Keith Murphy, has been charged with assault following an incident at his restaurant, Murphy's Taproom. An employee alleges that Murphy slapped and spat on him during an argument in April. Manchester police confirmed the charges, which include two counts of simple assault and one count of criminal threatening. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Murphy picking up a chair aggressively during the altercation.

Murphy, who is currently serving his first term in the Senate after multiple terms in the House, maintains his innocence. He claims that he is the victim in this situation and intends to defend himself against the charges. Murphy opened Murphy's Taproom in Manchester in 2007 and a second location in Bedford in 2017. He was released on personal recognizance bail and is scheduled for arraignment on July 24th.