Pelosi Attacker Faces Multiple Felony Counts

Despite police stating unequivocally that they don’t yet know the man’s motive, political activists of all stripes lamented the crime as evidence of the opposing camp’s increasing proclivity for violence.

Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
A police car parked outside the Pelosi household after an intruder violently attacked Paul Pelosi. Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Authorities in San Francisco say the suspect in the alleged assault of Paul Pelosi, husband of the Speaker of the House, will likely be charged with multiple felonies Monday.

David Depape allegedly broke into the Speaker Pelosi’s San Francisco home early Friday morning, assaulted her 82-year-old husband with a hammer, and demanded to know “Where is Nancy?”

Mr. Depape, who is 42 years old, faces charges of attempted murder, elder abuse, and battery, among other felonies. The district attorney’s office expects Mr. Depape to be charged Monday and arraigned Tuesday.

Mr. Pelosi is expected to recover. A representative from the speaker’s office said that Mr. Pelosi underwent “successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.”

The San Francisco police chief, William Scott, said on Friday the attack was “intentional,” adding that the assailant’s motivations remained a mystery. 

Despite police stating unequivocally that they don’t yet know the man’s motive, political activists of all stripes lamented the crime as evidence of the opposing camp’s increasing proclivity for violence. 

Social media accounts and blogs linked to Mr. Depape showed an interest in both right-wing and nudist activities, which both the left and right seized upon. Liberals noted only the right-wing conspiracies, while conservatives focused on his nudist history and his “Hippie” lifestyle in nearby Berkeley.

On “Meet the Press” Sunday morning, Senator Klobuchar urged listeners not to dwell only on the “moment of this horrific attack,” noting that Ms. Pelosi “has been villainized for years.”

Senator Clinton, in a Tweet, blasted the Republican party for spreading “hate and deranged conspiracy theories.” 

“It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result,” the former secretary of state tweeted. The new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, replied to Ms. Clinton that there was “a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye.”

The police arrived on the scene at around 2:27 AM Friday, after Mr. Pelosi made a 911 call from his bathroom. Police say there were signs of forced entry from the rear door of the speaker’s home.

On Sunday, NBC News reported that contrary to comments by the San Francisco Police Department on Friday that a third person might have been in the house, police now say there were only two people in the home when they arrived on the scene — Mr. Pelosi and Mr. Depape.  

At that time, Mr. Pelosi and Mr. Depape were allegedly holding the same hammer. Mr. Depape reportedly seized the hammer and struck Mr. Pelosi in front of the officers.

Both Mr. Pelosi and Mr. Depape were transported to the hospital for medical attention. An anonymous source told CNN that the alleged assailant brought zip ties and duct tape with him in a briefcase.

On Saturday night, Ms. Pelosi circulated a dear colleague letter to her fellow representatives.

“Our children, our grandchildren and I are heartbroken and traumatized by the life-threatening attack on our Pop,” she wrote. “We are grateful for the quick response of law enforcement and emergency services, and for the life-saving medical care he is receiving.”

Ms. Pelosi thanked her colleagues for their prayers and noted that her husband’s condition “continues to improve.”


The New York Sun

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