Speaker Nancy Pelosi
By MADISON HIRNEISEN
THE CENTER SQUARE STAFF REPORTER
(The Center Square) — The man identified as a suspect in the violent assault of Paul Pelosi, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, was charged by federal prosecutors with assault and attempted kidnapping on Monday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The suspect, 42-year-old David DePape, is in police custody after being arrested inside Mr. and Mrs. Pelosi’s San Francisco residence early Friday morning. When police arrived on the scene just before 2:30 a.m. Friday, they saw Mr. DePape and Mr. Pelosi holding onto a hammer before Mr. DePape took the hammer and “violently assaulted” 82-year-old Pelosi, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told reporters Friday.
Mr. Pelosi is expected to make a “full recovery,” but had to undergo surgery to repair a skull fracture and other injuries.
Mr. DePape is charged with one count of assault of an immediate family member of a U.S. official “with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties.” The charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to the DOJ. He is also charged with one count of attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official “on account of the performance of official duties,” which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told reporters Monday that the home invasion and attack were “politically motivated.” Mr. DePape was found to run a personal blog that included conspiracy theories and antisemitic posts, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Chief Scott of the San Francisco Police Department told reporters Friday that the home invasion and attack was “intentional.”
In an interview with San Francisco Police on Friday, Mr. DePape said he had planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, saying he viewed her as the “leader of the pack” of lies told by the Democratic Party, according to an affidavit filed by federal authorities.
“If Nancy were to tell DePape the ‘truth,’ he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps,’” the affidavit states. “DePape was certain that Nancy would not have told the ‘truth.’”
Mr. DePape also “explained that by breaking Nancy’s kneecaps, she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions,” the affidavit said. “The suspect also told police he wanted to use Nancy to “lure another individual.”
Mr. DePape also told authorities that he entered the house by breaking through a glass door and had zip ties, tape, rope and at least one hammer with him. He found Paul Pelosi in bed, and Mr. DePape said he was looking for Nancy, according to the affidavit.
Mr. Pelosi was able to go into a bathroom in the home and dial 9-1-1, prompting officers to respond. Mr. DePape told investigators he was aware of the 9-1-1 call but did not leave the home because “much like the American founding fathers with the British, he was fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender.”
Hours after the affidavit was filed, District Attorney Jenkins also announced formal charges against Mr. DePape on Monday, which include attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder and threats to a public official. Mr. DePape could face 13 years to life in prison under the charges, Ms. Jenkins said.
“As leaders and as citizens, it is incumbent upon us all to watch the words that we say and to turn down the volume of our political rhetoric,” District Attorney Jenkins said Monday. “We should be able to all engage in passionate political discourse, but still remain respectful of one another.”
“Violence certainly has no place in San Francisco or in politics.”
Madison Hirneisen covers California for The Center Square.
