Home Speaker Pelosi Attacked Husband With Hammer, Attacker Arrested

Last updated Oct 29, 2022

Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was brutally attacked with a hammer by a man who broke into the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday morning, local police said.

The attacker searched for the speaker of the house and shouted, “Where’s Nancy, where’s Nancy?” Before the attack on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, a source briefed on the attack told CNBC. Nancy Pelosi was not in San Francisco at the time.

The attacker, identified as 42-year-old David DePape, faces charges of attempted manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse “and multiple other felonies,” San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said at a news conference later Friday.

Both men were taken to the hospital for treatment, Scott said, adding that police are still investigating DePape’s motive. He was booked into the San Francisco County Jail on Friday afternoon.

In a news conference Friday night, Scott said: “This was no random attack. That was on purpose. And it’s wrong,” he added, “our elected officials are here to run the business of their cities, their counties, their states, and this nation. Their families don’t sign it – to be harmed. And it’s wrong.”

Paul Pelosi underwent successful surgery to repair “a fractured skull and serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement later Friday. “His doctors expect a full recovery.”

San Francisco police officers and FBI agents gather outside the home of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on October 28, 2022 in San Francisco, California. Paul Pelosi, husband of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, was violently assaulted at her home by an intruder.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

The U.S. Capitol Police said they are supporting the San Francisco Police Department and the FBI in a joint investigation.

The department determined that Nancy Pelosi was with her security detail in Washington, DC when the burglary took place.

Scott said police were dispatched to the Pelosi residence at 2:27 am PT. Upon arriving at the scene, officers saw the suspect and Paul Pelosi, both holding a gavel. DePape pulled the hammer away from Pelosi and violently attacked him with it before being dragged to the ground by police, Scott said.

The police did not answer any questions at the press conference.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott (R) speaks to reporters about the burglary and assault on the home of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) October 28, 2022 in San Francisco, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

The White House said President Joe Biden is praying “for Paul Pelosi and for Speaker Pelosi’s entire family.”

The President called Nancy Pelosi Friday morning to “express his support following this horrific attack,” the White House said in a statement, adding that Biden “continues to condemn all violence and ask that the family’s desire for privacy be respected.” becomes”.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., called the attack “an insidious act.”

“I spoke to Speaker Pelosi this morning and conveyed my deepest concerns and heartfelt wishes to her husband and family, and I wish him a speedy recovery,” Schumer said in a statement.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the chamber, said he was “appalled and disgusted by the reports.”

It is not the first time that the 82-year-old speaker of the Democratic House of Representatives has been confronted with threats.

A North Carolina man, Cleveland Meredith, was sentenced to 28 months in prison last December after pleading guilty to threatening to shoot Pelosi. Meredith, 53, traveled to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 to attend rallies that day, but didn’t arrive until the evening when the pro-Trump uprising in the US Capitol had been crushed.

Another man, 77-year-old Arizona resident Steven Martis, was sentenced to 21 months in February for threatening to kill Pelosi in messages to her DC office.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

And in April, 60-year-old Paul Hoeffer of Florida was sentenced to 18 months in prison for making phone calls threatening Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., another frequent target of criticism from the political right, to decapitate .

The attack on Paul Pelosi comes as U.S. Capitol Police saw a dramatic increase in threat cases — a 144% increase from 2017 to 2021, according to the department.

Other high-profile public figures have also been threatened recently. In June, 26-year-old California man Nicholas Roske was arrested and charged with attempted murder after he allegedly traveled to the Maryland home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and told police he intended to kill him.

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The Department of Homeland Security said in June that the U.S. is in an “elevated threat environment” that is expected to become “more dynamic” in the coming months.

Paul Pelosi made headlines in May when he was arrested in Napa County, California, on suspicion of drunk driving. He pleaded guilty to charges of DUI of the misdemeanor in August.

Both Paul and Nancy Pelosi have also come under scrutiny for their investing activities after the House Speaker said she opposed legislation that would ban members of Congress from owning individual stocks. She later revised her stance on the stock trading ban.