Attack of Paul Pelosi: What we know about the assault on the husband of the speaker of the House

Washington
CNN
—

The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosithe husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is expected in a San Francisco court on Tuesday for his indictment.

David DePape, 42, is facing a litany of state charges, including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Monday. These charges are in addition to the federal charges DePape faces, which include assault and attempted kidnapping.

“He’s obviously been booked on these charges, we’re going to file our complaint, we expect him to be in court tomorrow, and that’s about as much as I can say,” Jenkins said at a news conference Monday, adding that the previous arrests and DePape’s criminals. the story will be discussed in court on Tuesday.

Based on DePape’s statements, Jenkins said, it appears the attack was “politically motivated.”

“Yes, it appears that this was, based on his statements and comments that were made in that house during his meeting with Mr. Pelosi, that this was politically motivated,” he said.

DePape, according to court documents, told police he planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, calling her the “leader of the pack of lies” promoted by Democrats.

Paul Pelosi is “making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process,” Speaker Pelosi said in a statement Monday night.

“Since the horrific attack on Paul early Friday, we have been inundated with thousands of messages conveying concern, prayers and warm wishes. We are beyond grateful,” the statement said.

After the attack, Paul Pelosi underwent “successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” according to an earlier press release from Nancy Pelosi’s office.

Court filings related to the federal charges against DePape revealed the most detailed account ever of Paul Pelosi’s 911 call as the incident unfolded.

“Pelosi said the words that say there is a man in the house and that the man is going to wait for Pelosi’s wife. Pelosi also said that he does not know who the man is. The man said qu’il was named David,” an FBI agent said in an affidavit that was unsealed Monday.

Paul Pelosi called 911 at 2:23 a.m. PT on Friday, and police arrived at his home eight minutes later, according to the affidavit unsealed Monday.

“When the door was opened, Pelosi and DePape were both holding a hammer with one hand and DePape had the other hand holding onto Pelosi’s forearm,” the affidavit said. “Pelosi greeted the officers. The officers asked him what was going on. DePape replied that everything was fine. The officers asked Pelosi and DePape to drop the gavel.

At that moment, DePape allegedly pulled out the hammer and struck him, hitting Paul Pelosi in the head. Pelosi “appeared unconscious on the ground” after the hit, the affidavit said.

“DePape was willing to arrest and injure Speaker Pelosi when he entered Pelosi’s residence on the morning of October 28, 2022,” the FBI agent said in the affidavit. “DePape had zip tiestape, rope, and at least a hammer with him that morning.”

CNN previously reported that DePape confronted Pelosi and asked where his wife was, yelling, “Where’s Nancy at?” The speaker was not at home at the time of the attack.

According to the affidavit, “DePape stated that he was going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her. If Nancy told DePape the ‘truth,’ he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he would break “rolls them”.

“DePape was certain that Nancy was not telling the ‘truth,'” the FBI affidavit said.

The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, condemned “Horrible and violent attack,” during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Monday.

“There is no place for this in this country,” Mayorkas said in his first remarks since the attack last week, adding that it was difficult to label the incident “domestic terrorism” because of the legal implications of the term

On the same day that Pelosi was attacked, the federal authorities noticed in a joint assessment that violent domestic extremists pose an increased threat to the 2022 midterm elections.

Asked if he was concerned about copycat attacks, Mayorkas said domestic violent extremism is “one of the biggest terrorism-related threats” to the United States, noting that DHS tracks the threat environment and pushes information to state and local law enforcement authorities, so they are aware of the threat.

Some popular Republican figures appeared to make light of the attack, including Kari Lake, the GOP candidate in the Arizona gubernatorial race.

“It is not impossible to protect our children at school. They act as it is. Nancy Pelosi, well, she has protection when she is in DC – apparently, her house does not have much protection,” said Lake to laughter in a Scottsdale countryside.

Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, shared an image on social media of a hammer and a pair of underwear with the words “Get my Paul Pelosi Halloween costume ready.”

However, several prominent Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, condemned the attack, although some others, including former President Donald Trump, offered a more lukewarm response.