Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Recovers After Brutal Assault, Attacker Faces Numerous Felonies

The 82-year-old husband of Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi, is recovering after he was the victim of a brutal assault in the couple's upscale San Francisco home.

Officials arrested the attacker, 41-year-old David DePape, on a slew of charges including attempted murder, elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, battery, and several other felonies. DePape is currently being held at the San Francisco county jail.

Officials detail that during the early hours of Friday morning, DePape entered the couple's home through the back door after breaking out the windows. Once he was in the house, DePape allegedly began yelling out “Where is Nancy?”. Just before 2:30 am, officers arrived at the couple's home after sources say Pelosi was able to make a phone call to police.

During a press conference, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott painted an image of the assault, explaining, “San Francisco police officers were dispatched to the Pelosi household regarding an A-priority well-being check. When the officers arrived on the scene they encountered an adult male and Mrs. Pelosi's husband Paul. Our officers observed Mr. Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer. The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it. Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup and rendered medical aid.”

At the time of the assault, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Washington DC along with the security detail that travels with her. There was no security detail at the home of Pelosi at the time of her husband's assault. According to reports, it is not standard operating procedure for the security detail of a political figure to protect family members unless that political figure is with their family. Despite this, the Pelosi household was armed with security cameras that captured the moment the attacker entered the residence.

Paul Pelosi and his attacker were both taken to the local hospital. Sources close to the family have shared that Pelosi suffered significant injuries including a fractured skull and injuries to his right arm and hands. After undergoing surgery, doctors expect Pelosi to make a full recovery, according to a statement released by a spokesperson for the house speaker.

Officials have not released a motive for the attack, but authorities say that the attacker was looking for Nancy Pelosi when he entered the house. According to sources, the attacker planned to tie up Paul Pelosi until his wife came home.

While little is known about the motive and the attacker, a quick scan of social media shows that DePape appears to be a supporter of Donald Trump and sympathizes with far-right ideologies and conspiracy theories including QAnon.

DePape’s online postings reference “satanic pedophilia” and include disparaging posts about women, transgender individuals, and Jewish communities.

Following the attack, there was swift bipartisan support for the Speaker of the House. During a campaign event in Pennsylvania, President Biden shared with the crowd "Every person of good conscience needs to clearly and unambiguously stand up against violence in our politics, regardless of what your politics are."

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy also shared his support for Pelosi and her family while Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer shared on Twitter, “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.”

Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell also shared his support for Pelosi. McConnell tweeted that he was “horrified and disgusted by the reports that Paul Pelosi was assaulted in his and speaker Pelosi’s home last night. 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.”