Paul Pelosi’s Alleged Attacker Pleads Not Guilty in San Francisco Court – David DePape, the 42-year-old man accused of violently assaulting Paul Pelosi early Friday morning, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday during his arraignment in a San Francisco court. The suspect, a right-wing conspiracy theorist, allegedly broke into the Pelosis’ house in the Bay Area in search of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was at the time in Washington, D.C. Authorities responding to a 911 call from the home say they arrived around 2:30 a.m.
Paul and DePape were struggling over a hammer on Friday. According to police sources, DePape grabbed the weapon and attacked Paul with it in front of the cops before being subdued and arrested. According to the House speaker, Paul, 82, had a fractured skull and other critical injuries and has a “long recovery ahead.” The day of the incident, he successfully underwent surgery to fix his skull.
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Monday, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins of San Francisco formally charged the suspect with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, domestic burglary, false detention, and threatening the life or serious bodily harm of a public officer. Jenkins tweeted after the charges were revealed, “DePape will be held accountable for his violent and depraved attack, and we will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.” “When citizens of our city suffer as victims of crime, we will hold perpetrators accountable for their actions and work to deliver justice for all.”
On Monday, he was also charged with two federal felonies: assaulting a close relative of a federal official and attempting to kidnap a federal official. If he is found guilty in both instances, he faces decades in prison. In a criminal complaint released by the Department of Justice on Monday, an FBI special agent explained why federal charges should be brought against DePape.
According to the lawsuit, DePape entered the residence intending to hold the House speaker hostage, break her kneecaps if she did not comply, and use her as an example for other Democratic lawmakers. The suspect explained his intentions and actions to San Francisco police officers in a taped interview.
“In the course of the interview, DePape articulated he viewed Nancy as the ‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party,” the complaint reads. “DePape also later 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 complaint also claims he wanted to use Nancy, 82, to lure another unnamed person.
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One thing the intruder seemingly didn’t consider was whether Nancy, who spends much of her time working in Washington, D.C., would be home. She wasn’t, foiling his supposed plan and allegedly sparking chaos as he scrambled to figure out what to do about her husband, Paul, also 82. DePape allegedly attempted to confine Paul with twist ties, rope, tape, and the hammer used to smash through the sliding glass door of the residence so that they could wait for Nancy’s return, but Paul quickly escaped to the toilet with a phone to call 911.
“DePape explained that he did not leave after Paul’s call to 9-1-1 because, much like the American founding fathers with the British, he was fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender,” the complaint reads. He allegedly told officers that he was willing to go “through” Paul if needed. On Friday, Nancy released a statement that read, “Our children, our grandchildren and I are heartbroken and traumatized by the life-threatening attack on our Pop.” She traveled to San Francisco to be with her husband after news of his injuries broke.
