Paul Pelosi attack: Court hears DePape was on ‘suicide mission’ as Megyn Kelly raises conspiracies

Assailant breaks into Nancy Pelosi’s home, attacks husband Paul Pelosi

David DePape, the man accused of beating House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul with a hammer during a struggle in the couple’s San Francisco home, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance on Tuesday.

In court documents, prosecutors described Mr DePape as embarking on a “suicide mission” targeting the Pelosis, as well as other state and federal officials.

The 42-year-old could face as many as 50 years in prison if found guilty on state and federal charges.

Police body camera footage of the attack could be shown during the trial, police told The Independent.

Elsewhere, Sen Ted Cruz was called out by critics for propping up conspiracy theories about the violent assault on the House Speaker’s husband.

Brooke Jenkins said that her office will charge the suspect with attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, and threats to a public official and their family.

It came hours after it was announced that the suspect is facing two federal charges for threatening violence against a US official’s spouse.

What we know so far

• David DePape pleads not guilty in first court appearance for Paul Pelosi hammer attack
• San Francisco prosecutor says body cam footage shows Pelosi attack
• Megyn Kelly echoes conspiracies on Paul Pelosi attack: ‘I know enough to smell a rat’
• Ted Cruz faces furious calls to apologise for pushing Paul Pelosi attack conspiracy theories
• Fox News defends Elon Musk conspiracy theory tweet
• Ex-partner of David DePape claims he was ‘mentally ill for a long time’
• Nancy Pelosi breaks silence over attack on husband

[31 October 2022 16:24 · Johanna Chisholm]

Paul Pelosi’s son says his dad’s condition is improving: ‘They are rebuilding him slowly’

Paul Pelosi’s son says his father appears to be responding to treatment after he was brutally assaulted with a hammer during a home invasion.

“They are rebuilding him slowly,” Paul Pelosi Jr told reporters outside the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center on Sunday evening, according tothe New York Post.

Mr Pelosi Sr, 82, suffered a fractured skull when a man armed with a hammer broke into the San Francisco home he shares with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi early on Friday morning.

Bevan Hurley has more on this developing story.

[31 October 2022 16:40 · Johanna Chisholm]

Donald Trump says Paul Pelosi attack was a ‘terrible thing'

Former President Donald Trump said during an interview on Sunday that the attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was a “terrible thing”.

“With Paul Pelosi, that’s a terrible thing, with all of them it’s a terrible thing,” the one-term president said in an interview with Americano Media, a conservative Spanish language outlet.

“Look at what’s happened to San Francisco generally. Look at what’s happening in Chicago. It was far worse than Afghanistan.”

“We have to give the police back their dignity, their respect. They can solve the problem. But today if a police officer says something that’s slightly out of line it’s like the end of his life, the end of his pension, the end of his family,” he continued. “We can’t do that. We have to give the police back their authority and their power and their respect. Because this country is out of control.”

Watch the full clip below.

[31 October 2022 17:00 · Johanna Chisholm]

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene defends Elon Musk posting conspiracy tweet about attack of Paul Pelosi

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene took to Twitter to defend the microblogging site’s new owner, Elon Musk, after the Tesla founder posted - and deleted - a tweet that supported an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about the attack on Nancy Pelosi‘s husband Paul last week.

Musk shared a link on Sunday to a news article claiming without evidence that Mr Pelosi had met his attacker in a San Francisco gay bar that night.

After deleting his tweet on Sunday night, the Twitter owner posted a screenshot of a New York Times headline reporting that he had shared content from a website “known to publish false news”, with a joking rebuttal: “This is fake – I did not tweet out a link to The New York Times!”

The Georgia Republican took to the same social media platform on Monday morning to defend Musk’s actions, writing in a post: “The same mainstream media democrat activists that sold conspiracy theories for years about President Trump and Russia are now blaming @elonmusk for ‘internet misinformation’ about Paul Pelosi’s friend attacking him with a hammer.”

“The media is source of misinformation,” added the congresswoman, who herself is known to traffic in conspiracy theories about election fraud, QAnon and Covid-19 vaccines.

[31 October 2022 17:30 · Johanna Chisholm]

What we know about David DePape, the suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi

The San Francisco Police Department has arrested 42-year-old David DePape for allegedly breaking into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband Paul Pelosi in the early morning hours of 28 October.

According to CBS News, the suspect repeatedly shouted “where is Nancy?” when confronted by Mr Pelosi.

Mr DePape will be charged with attempted homicide, among other charges, according to police.

Here, The Independent breaks down everything we know about the suspect in the attack, Mr DePape, so far.

[31 October 2022 18:00 · Johanna Chisholm]

Opinion: After the Paul Pelosi attack, there’s been no soul-searching on the right

Back in 2008, the late congressman John Lewis — whose skull was once fractured by police in Selma, Alabama — warned that John McCain and Sarah Palin’s rhetoric about then-Democratic nominee Barack Obama on the campaign trail mirrored that of segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace. That was not a comparison that Lewis drew lightly, write The Independent’s Eric Garcia.

But over the 14 years that have elapsed between Lewis’s warning about extremist rhetoric and the threat on Paul Pelosi’s life, the violent tenor of public discourse has only intensified. In 2010, plenty of Tea Party candidates alluded to violence; Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle mused publicly that “people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies.” The following year, Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head.

Eric Garcia, The Independent

Keep reading the latest opinion piece from Eric Garcia here.

[31 October 2022 18:56 · Johanna Chisholm]

David DePape faces federal charges, Associated Press reports

David DePape, the man suspected of attacking Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer at their San Francisco home, is allegedly facing a charge for threatening violence against a US official’s spouse.

The Associated Press reported the charge on Monday afternoon, three days after the 42-year-old was accused of breaking and entering into the couple’s Pacific Heights home and assaulting the 82-year-old.

The Independent has more here in this developing report.

[31 October 2022 19:00 · Johanna Chisholm]

Trump blames ‘Democrat-run cities’ for attack on Paul Pelosi

Former president Donald Trump has weighed in on the violent attack against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, in an interview with a right-wing Spanish-language network.

Speaking to a host from Americano Media on Monday, Mr Trump called the attack on Mr Pelosi “a terrible thing” but suggested the violent assault and home invasion was a reflection of the conditions in cities where voters choose to elect Democrats, rather than a targeted attack on the person who is second in the presidential line of succession.

“Look at what’s happened to San Francisco, generally — look at what is happening in Chicago,” he said, describing crime in the Windy City as “ far worse than Afghanistan”.

Andrew Feinberg has more of the details here.

[31 October 2022 19:05 · Johanna Chisholm]

David DePape reportedly wanted to ‘kneecap’ House Speaker

David DePape reportedly wanted to “kneecap” Nancy Pelosi in order to show that there were “consequences to actions”, the Department of Justice filing read.

“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.”

[31 October 2022 19:26 · Megan Sheets]

Read the full criminal complaint against David DePape

A seven-page criminal complaint filed in US District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday afternoon outlines evidence in support of federal charges against Mr DePape.

The filing was penned by FBI Special Agent Stephanie Minor.

It includes new details about how the attack unfolded and Mr DePape’s alleged motivations.

Read the filing in full here.

[31 October 2022 20:00 · Megan Sheets]

Why DePape didn’t flee after Pelosi called 911

Monday’s federal criminal complaint offered new details about why David DePape didn’t flee the scene after Paul Pelosi called 911.

Mr DePape had begun preparing to restrain Mr Pelosi when the House speaker’s husband went into the bathroom and made his 911 call.

“DePape stated he felt like Pelosi’s actions compelled him to respond,” the complaint states.

“DePape remembered thinking that there was no way the police were going to forget about the phone call. DePape explained that he did not leave after Pelosi’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. DePape reiterated this sentiment elsewhere in the interview.

The filing continued: “DePape stated that they went downstairs to the front door. The police arrived and knocked on the door, and Pelosi ran over and opened it. Pelosi grabbed onto DePape’s hammer, which was in DePape’s hand. At this point in the interview, DePape repeated that DePape did not plan to surrender and that he would go ‘through’ Pelosi.

“DePape stated that he pulled the hammer away from Pelosi and swung the hammer towards Pelosi. DePape explained that Pelosi’s actions resulted in Pelosi ‘taking the punishment instead.’”