Assailant shouted ‘Where is Nancy?’ in break-in at speaker’s home, attack on Paul Pelosi
By Eugene Scott, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Perry Stein, Paul Kane and Lisa Bonos
Updated October 28, 2022 at 3:16 p.m. EDT|Published October 28, 2022 at 9:01 a.m. EDT
The husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was violently assaulted during an early-morning break-in at the couple’s San Francisco home by an assailant who was searching for the speaker and shouted, “Where is Nancy?,” according to a person briefed on the case.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said at a news conference that police responded at 2:27 a.m. Friday to a break-in at the Pelosi home. They found the assailant, who grabbed a hammer from Paul Pelosi and attacked him in front of police.
Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to a hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, according to the speaker’s office.
Police arrested 42-year-old David Depape and he will be charged with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and burglary, according to Scott. Depape also was taken to a hospital.
The assailant was looking for the House speaker and, before assaulting Paul Pelosi, shouted, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?” according to an individual who was briefed on the attack. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe details.
Those details were a chilling echo of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol when a pro-Trump mob could be heard chanting, “Nancy, Nancy” and “All we want is Pelosi” as they ransacked the building, overwhelmed police and sought to stop the counting of electoral college votes in Joe Biden’s win.
Nancy Pelosi, who has been fundraising and campaigning with Democrats around the country ahead of the midterm elections, was in Washington at the time, according to U.S. Capitol Police.
The speaker, who is second in line to the presidency, has a security detail provided by Capitol Police. Paul Pelosi, however, doesn’t receive protection from Capitol Police or any other government entity when he is not with the speaker, according to three people familiar with the security protocol.
“The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time,” Drew Hammill, a spokesman, said.
The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that it is assisting the FBI and San Francisco police in investigating the break-in and attack.
“Special Agents with the USCP’s California Field Office quickly arrived on scene, while a team of investigators from the Department’s Threat Assessment Section was simultaneously dispatched from the East Coast to assist the FBI and the San Francisco Police with a joint investigation,” U.S. Capitol Police said.
A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said it is still too early to determine a motive for the attack. But the official said investigators are examining all indicators of a potential motive, including the suspect’s social media accounts. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly about the probe.
In July 2013, Depape participated in a demonstration against a citywide ordinance banning public nudity, according to an account of the event posted online by nudist activist Gypsy Taub. Videos posted on YouTube of the event show naked protesters marching through San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood.
The speaker, who had been in Zagreb, Croatia, earlier this week for a forum on Crimea and in Washington on Tuesday to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, was in San Francisco on Wednesday morning for an event at the Golden Gate Bridge before returning to Washington.
President Biden spoke to Nancy Pelosi to “express his support after this horrible attack,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
“The President is praying for Paul Pelosi and for Speaker Pelosi’s whole family,” Jean-Pierre said. “He is also very glad that a full recovery is expected. The President continues to condemn all violence, and asks that the family’s desire for privacy be respected.”
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement that he conveyed his concerns in a call with the speaker, describing the attack as a “dastardly act.”
Other congressional leaders also expressed their shock and outrage while wishing Paul Pelosi a speedy recovery. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tweeted, “Horrified and disgusted by the reports that Paul Pelosi was assaulted in his and Speaker Pelosi’s home last night.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the No. 2 Republican in the House, echoed those comments in his own tweet, writing: “Disgusted to hear about the horrific assault on Speaker Pelosi’s husband Paul. Grateful for law enforcement’s actions to respond,” Scalise said. “Let’s be clear: Violence has no place in this country. I’m praying for Paul Pelosi’s full recovery.”
Scalise was gravely wounded in 2017 when a gunman opened fired as Republicans were practicing for a Congressional Baseball Game.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says he contacted the speaker, per a statement from his spokesman, Mark Bednar. “Leader McCarthy reached out to the Speaker to check in on Paul and said he’s praying for a full recovery and is thankful they caught the assailant,” the statement said.
But not every politician focused solely on the violent attack and Paul Pelosi’s health.
Campaigning with Virginia GOP House candidate Yesli Vega, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) condemned the violence but then suggested that Republican voters would send the House speaker back home to be with her husband.
“Listen, I want to stop for a minute and — listen — Speaker Pelosi’s husband had a break-in last night in their house and he was assaulted. There’s no room for violence anywhere, but we’re going to send her back to be with him in California. That’s what we’re going to go do,” Youngkin said.
The crowd cheered.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who was recently threatened at her home, said Speaker Pelosi “was very sympathetic to the need to get additional security for members.”
“She really recognizes the changed threat to members in this environment and particularly after January 6,” Jayapal said, referring to the 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Jayapal added that the need for security for family members “has been an ongoing concern” because family members don’t receive protection, and that it has been a challenge because such arrangements must be approved in the appropriations process by both parties.
Paul Pelosi owns Financial Leasing Services, a San Francisco-based real estate and venture capital investment and consulting firm. He met his wife while studying at Georgetown University. She was a student at Trinity College at the time. The Pelosis have been married for 59 years and have five children.
Paul Pelosi was in the news in August when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence and causing injury stemming from a May car crash in Northern California.
In 2021, the Pelosi home in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood was spray-painted and a pig’s head was left on the sidewalk in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day. The incident was apparently in criticism of Congress over insufficient coronavirus pandemic relief.
Dalton Bennett contributed to this report.
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