Republicans continue to spread baseless claims about Pelosi’s attack

“It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result,” he wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.”

It is his position that prompted Mr. Musk, the owner of Twitter from last Thursday night, to hint that an alternative version of the attack was possible. “There is a small possibility that there could be more to this story than meets the eye,” he answered directly to Mrs. Clinton.

Mr. Musk linked to an opinion piece from the Santa Monica Observer, a website known for publishing falsehoods, that offered an alternative account of what led to the attack on Mr. Pelosi. Relying on an anonymous source and providing no evidence, the article claimed that the attacker was a male prostitute.

The story also indicated that the attacker was found by police wearing only his underwear, a detail that was initially published by a Fox affiliate before being widely circulated in right-wing online communities. The affiliate later removed the detail and added a correction, saying the article “missed what clothing the suspect was wearing.”

Fox did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

That change prompted a new round of baseless theories, with some right-wing Americans claiming a cover-up.

“New day, new narrative,” Tricia Flanagan, a former Republican primary candidate for New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District, tweeted to her 70,000 followers.

On Monday, federal prosecutors in charge Mr. DePape with attempted kidnapping and assault of a relative of a public official. He was looking for Ms. Pelosi, who was in Washington at the time, and who was carrying “a roll of tape, white rope, a second hammer, a pair of rubber and canvas gloves and ties,” according to the State’s office. united States Attorney for the Northern District of California, who filed the charges.