Nancy Pelosi’s husband left hospitalized by intruder in California home, officials say
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, 82, is in the hospital after an intruder broke into the couple’s San Francisco home on Oct. 28, a spokesman said.
“Early this morning, an assailant broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi,” Drew Hammill said in statement. “The assailant is in custody and the motivation for the attack is under investigation.”
Paul Pelosi was attacked by a man with a hammer, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said during a news conference on Oct. 28.
Around 2:27 a.m., police officers were dispatched to the Pelosi’s home and found Paul Pelosi and the intruder both holding the hammer, Scott said.
“The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it,” Scott added.
Officers immediately tackled the intruder, who was identified as David Depape, 42, and took him into custody, according to Scott.
Paul Pelosi “suffered blunt force injuries” after Depape targeted their home, sources told The Associated Press. The intruder was shouting “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?” when he barged in.
By the afternoon of Oct. 28, he was undergoing surgery, a relative told NBC News.
Depape is accused of trying to tie up Paul Pelosi “until Nancy got home,” CNN reported. When authorities arrived, the suspect said he was “waiting for Nancy.”
Hammill said Paul Pelosi is “expected to make a full recovery,” adding that Nancy Pelosi was not in the home when the attack occurred.
“The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time,” he added.
The FBI and U.S. Capitol Police are involved in the investigation into the attack. A potential motive is not yet clear.
Footage shared by The Recount on Twitter showed noticeable damage done to the Pelosi’s home and a broken back door.
Depape will be booked on felony charges including attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse, Scott said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden is “praying for Paul Pelosi and for Speaker Pelosi’s whole family,” in a statement on Twitter.
“This morning he called Speaker Pelosi to express his support after this horrible attack,” Jean-Pierre added. “He is also very glad that a full recovery is expected.”
Special agents with the U.S. Capitol Police’s California Field Office “quickly” responded to the scene of the attack, authorities said. Nancy Pelosi was in Washington, D.C., with her security at the time.
The attack comes after U.S. Capitol Police data shows threats against members of U.S. Congress have spiked between 2017 and 2021, Axios reported.
A North Carolina man previously threatened to shoot Nancy Pelosi one day after the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots in 2021, according to the Justice Department. Cleveland Grover Meredith, Jr. traveled from Colorado to Washington, D.C., the evening of Jan. 6 and sent his family a text message that made a threat against Nancy Pelosi, prosecutors said.
Meredith was sentenced to two years and four months in federal prison on Dec. 14 after he pleaded guilty in connection with the shooting threat, according to prosecutors. This came after his mother reported him to the FBI.
Nancy Pelosi married Paul Pelosi in 1963 and had five children together in New York before moving to San Francisco, where he was born.
Her husband made headlines earlier in the year after he was arrested on a DUI charge in late May, according to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to five days in jail.
“What happened to Paul Pelosi was a dastardly act,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “I spoke with Speaker Pelosi earlier this morning and conveyed my deepest concern and heartfelt wishes to her husband and their family, and I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell also condemned the assault on Paul Pelosi in a statement.
“Horrified and disgusted by the reports that Paul Pelosi was assaulted in his and Speaker Pelosi’s home last night,” McConnell wrote. “Grateful to hear that Paul is on track to make a full recovery and that law enforcement including our stellar Capitol Police are on the case.”
Before an attacker broke into the Pelosi’s home, Nancy Pelosi returned to the U.S. this week after attending a security conference in Europe, The Associated Press reported.
She represented Congress at the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform to reaffirm the country’s support for Ukraine.
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Nancy Pelosi’s husband left hospitalized by intruder in California home, officials say."
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