Alleged Paul Pelosi Attacker David DePape Charged by Federal Prosecutors - WSJ
Mr. DePape told police that “he viewed Nancy as ‘the leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party,” an FBI agent wrote in court documents. 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.”
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’s husband told police he went to their San Francisco mansion to take the House speaker hostage and “break her knee caps,” the Justice Department said in court papers charging him with federal crimes stemming from the attack that stirred fears of politically motivated violence ahead of the midterm elections.
Federal prosecutors charged David DePape, 42 years old, with assault and attempted kidnapping in connection with the break-in, writing in court documents that the attacker brought with him a roll of tape, white rope, zip ties, two hammers and a journal.
There was no security present at the Pelosi home and he was able to break the window of a glass door to gain entry, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said on Monday.
Ms. Jenkins announced that her office was charging Mr. DePape with state crimes including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, false imprisonment and threatening a public official or their family. He faces 13 years to life imprisonment on the state charges alone.
Mr. DePape is scheduled to be arraigned on the state charges in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday. Ms. Jenkins said she would file a motion to detain him without bail. The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office said it expects to represent him.
Mr. DePape told police that “he viewed Nancy as ‘the leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party,” an FBI agent wrote in court documents. 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 court documents don’t say what specific grievance, if any, Mr. DePape held against Mrs. Pelosi, but the federal charging documents filed on Monday offer the fullest picture yet of the attack on Mr. Pelosi.
The assault left Paul Pelosi, 82 years old, with skull fractures and other serious injuries and heightened worries among members of Congress.
“Paul is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process,” Mrs. Pelosi said on Monday in a statement. “Our family thanks everyone for their kindness.”
Federal authorities, meanwhile, have warned of the possibility of more extremist violence directed at not just politicians but election workers, judges and voters around the elections.
Congress has been on edge over the personal security of lawmakers for years, but recent attacks prompted consideration of more expansive protective measures. In July, the House sergeant at arms announced a program to provide up to $10,000 to cover the cost of installing and maintaining security systems at members’ personal residences.
The risks put a strain on members and their families. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.) was at home with her husband over the summer when a man threatened to kill her. Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) needed a security detail during a political dispute over the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who himself was the target of an assassination threat this summer.
Ms. Jenkins said Mr. DePape broke into the Pelosi home and made his way upstairs, where Mr. Pelosi was sleeping.
He then shouted “Where is Nancy?,” and demanded to see the Speaker, according to officials.
Ms. Jenkins said Mr. Pelosi tried to go into an elevator to call 911 from a telephone but was blocked by Mr. DePape. Mr. Pelosi then called 911 from a bathroom, where he told a dispatcher there was a man in his home he didn’t know “and that the male is going to wait for Pelosi’s wife.”
Two police officers arrived at the front door two minutes later, according to Ms. Jenkins. They found the attacker and Mr. Pelosi struggling for control of a hammer, and the attacker pulled the hammer away and swung it, striking Mr. Pelosi in the head, according to the FBI agent who wrote in federal court documents.
Officers tackled Mr. DePape, took the hammer and arrested him, the agent wrote. Mr. Pelosi appeared to be unconscious.
Police recovered zip ties from Pelosi’s bedroom and from a hallway near the front door. In Mr. DePape’s backpack, they found a roll of tape, rope, another hammer, a pair of gloves and a journal, court documents said.
Ms. Jenkins said the attack had unnerved public officials such as herself. “Violence has no place in this city and we will work vigorously to hold him accountable,” she said.
Mr. DePape, who had been involved in nude activism , slept in a bus and espoused various conspiracy theories in recent years, had for two years been living in a garage in Richmond, Calif., where authorities seized two hammers, a sword, and gloves, among other things.
Mr. Pelosi told police that he was asleep when Mr. DePape, whom he had never seen, entered the bedroom and said he “wanted to talk to Nancy,” the court papers said. When Mr. Pelosi said his wife wasn’t home and wouldn’t be for several days, Mr. DePape said he would sit and wait for her.
He said he wanted to tie up Mr. Pelosi so he could go to sleep, as he was tired from having had to carry a backpack to the Pelosi home. He then started taking out twist-ties so he could restrain Mr. Pelosi, the court documents said. Mr. Pelosi moved toward another part of the house, but Mr. DePape stopped him and they went back to the bedroom. Mr. Pelosi then said he needed to use the bathroom, where he used a phone to call 911.
Mr. DePape told police that he didn’t leave after Mr. Pelosi called 911 because “much like the American founding fathers with the British, he was fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender,” according to the court documents.
Federal prosecutors charged Mr. DePape with one count of assault of an immediate family member of a U.S. official with intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of duties. That charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. He was also charged with attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official, which carries a possible 20 year sentence.
Jim Carlton in San Francisco and Zusha Elinson contributed to this article.
Totally normal behavior:
In his underwear even. Very devoted...
So you right wingers are riffing on the idea that Mr. Pelosi, asleep in his underwear in his own home at 2am, is somehow responsible for his assailant (who beat him unconscious with a hammer when the police arrived) being in his underwear too?
How disgusting.
How disgusting of all of you.
I'm not "riffing" on anything, just wondering what happened like everyone else...
Are you trying to imply something, Greg?
What does your comment mean?
Paul Pelosi was sleeping in his underwear butt, DePape who brutally attacked Pelosi was NOT in his underwear when the cops arrived on the scene. That's fucking disinformation being pushed to discredit Paul Pelosi. There is no evidence that DePape is a "homosexual prostitute" either. DePape is just another ardent believer in stupid conspiracy theories (like QAnon).
Prominent conservatives share online disinformation about Paul Pelosi assault
The posts by Donald Trump Jr. and Rep. Clay Higgins, among others, come as GOP leaders try to strike a different tone on the attack.
Among those baseless claims: that a third person answered the door when police arrived at the Pelosi home, which San Francisco law enforcement has said is untrue; and that DePape was in his underwear when apprehended, a falsehood taken from a since-corrected local news report .
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), chair of the House GOP campaign arm posted a tweet showing him firing a rifle and saying, " fire Nancy Pelosi ".
DePape had indicated that he intended to tie up Paul Pelosi so he, DePape, could go to sleep. DePape had indicated that he intended to wait for Nancy Pelosi.
Do the links you provided definitively say this?
I don't have time to pursue them right now.
I also don't see how it matters whether the crazy man took off his pants and then beat Pelosi with a hammer or left them on and then beat Pelosi with a hammer.
This was clearly not a play date.
Yes.
The right wing conspiracy is that Mr. Pelosi and his attacker met at a gay bar and that Nancy and her husband live separate lives.
The gay bar theory is what Musk tweeted about.
Is it appropriate to start shaming Tesla owners now?
What do you wear to bed? Do you think of that before someone fractures your skull with a hammer in the middle of the night?
It's deplorable and their MO..
"Are you trying to imply something, Greg?
What does your comment mean?"
I believe he might be referring to the ignorant hateful conspiracy ignorance that Musk promoted right after acquiring Twitter that Mr. Pelosi was attacked by a gay lover. I think that's what he's referring to and pretending that Musk didn't do that.
Why am I the only one mentioning that and everyone else seems to be ignoring what Musk did and his new supporters and enablers are completing avoiding/ignoring/pretending that he's not promoting hateful ignorant conspiracy theories against a Democrat Leader's husband?
MUSK
Sorry - I see Rev and al mentioned it above.
THANKS
I sleep totally "commando".
If anyone invades my bedroom, they will get a surprise.
I think that Paul Pelosi is damn lucky he is alive. Some quick thinking on his part and the part of the 911 operator as well.
Absolutely. Everyone should be taking notes on his actions.
For a 82 year old dude, Mr Pelosi thought and acted pretty quick on his feet. Glad to see he is out of the hospital and hopefully headed to a full recovery.
Frankly, being willing to wait several days for Nancy may be the least crazy thing in this entire story.
"Nude activism"???
What??? 
Surely you have heard that clothes are part of the oppression of the patriarchy.
Some men don't want women to see what other men are packing.
Or unpacking as it were.
Wikipedia is finally catching up to the news cycle.
There is now a Wikipedia page for this woman, Gypsy Taub, and man is she crazy:
and
Also, she has the facial features of someone whose mother drank during pregnancy.
The thin upper lip and absence of those two lines that go from the lip to the nostrils are common FAS features.
(When she gets out of prison, she might want to consider a run for Congress.)
If you're sure she's not overqualified....
I think she'll do just fine.
She would probably fit right in....
I like these 4 ladies.
You do realize they're not a music group or anything, right?
It's just a bunch of yelling at everybody like a group of crazy people about shit they don't understand.
Come to think of it, you're right. Gypsy would fit right in.
I follow AOC more closely than the other three because she represents a district in NYC and I am from NYC. She is quite competent as a congress member and has obvious political talent.
I'm personally more of a centrist these days, inclined to caution the left from the center. But I see AOC as a terribly important member of the party.
I would think more highly of her if she were more careful about what she says and more realistic about what she wants.
Nothing is more frightening these days than a woman who says exactly what she wants.
The fact that we elect morons like AOC and MGT is actually more frightening to me.
AOC isn't a moron.
How effective is she as a legislator? How many bills has she introduced that made it out of committee?
To some 'men'
AOC may not be the dumbest member of Congress, but she should be praying that Hank Johnson doesn't die.
It's interesting. She has this persona like the left wing version of MGT, in that she is utterly committed to ridiculous ideas she obviously doesn't understand.
I'm not sure if she actually believes the things she says.... which would make her an idiot....
Or if she is playing that part because she's seen how good a career path "token looney leftist" has been for Bernie Sanders and Bernie isn't going to live forever....
Or if she's actually secretly employed by some wealthy conservatives because she is absolutely God's gift to the Republican Party.
I thought he was tragically killed when Guam capsized.
I don't watch FoxNews or visit Redstate, etc., so I am unfamiliar with this curated persona.
I enjoy naked "activities".
People have asked over at Quora, and I think the best answer was this one:
Is the answer really wrong?
As a nation we spend more per person and get poorer outcomes than any other advanced industrialized economy.
All these dollars we pay for health care the way we do now would be repurposed to spend on Medicare for all. That's where the money would come from.
That's not to say I am personally in favor of waving a wand and creating Medicare for All over night.
I'm more of an incrementalist. Let's get some kind of Medicare for 55 and over going and then let's try to get a workplace Medicare option. Before you know it Medicare will be the norm.
And the whole point would be better healthcare insurance at lower cost. Lower cost to individuals and lower cost to tax payers.
In 2020 the vast majority of Americans had health insurance.
If we could bring down the cost per person by around 10 percent then it would pretty much all come out in the wash when we insure that last 8.6 percent of people.
Since we spend nearly twice as much per person on healthcare than other nations like ourselves, we should be able to find that 10% of savings.
But those plans on the exchanges are private insurance.
Obamacare has been allowed to languish on the vine. The problems it has now mostly are due to our political system where politicians are basically rewarded more for obstructing each other than cooperating with each other for the common good.
And yet she doesn't know how the unemployment rate is calculated.
Absolutely. The question is "who pays for it"?
We spent $4.3 trillion on healthcare last year. Assuming we only need to cover an additional 10% of the population (it's actually more than that), we would need $4.73 trillion. About $1.4 trillion of that is already US govt spending, so we're looking to cover a shortfall of $2.9 trillion.
Total tax revenue last year was $4.03 trillion.
The tax increase you would need is staggering.
I cited a link for my 10% number.
Your link cites a statistic about the number of people who had health insurance for all or part of the year. So the only people included in your uninsured number are those who were completely uninsured for 365 days.
Your Medicare for all plan is not going to have people uncovered for 1 month out of the year, much less 10, so the increased cost is going to be much higher than you suggest.
But you are still imagining numbers instead of looking them up.
Which ones do you doubt?
Come to find out, 11% of working-age adults had a gap in coverage, in addition to the 9% that were completely uninsured.
Well, no accounting for taste. Welcome to the congressional bigot looney bin! To each their own.
Look at the company she keeps with the Squad. Omar, Tlaib, Bush, Presley, and others. Anti Semites, racists, and bigots. A alleged high IQ in no way confers wisdom or common sense. Yep, AOC's a moron!
AOC's a moron!
You may need to apologize to morons for insulting their intelligence.
Why yes.... yes she was.
At this point I'm not sure we can even equate some college degrees with "education".
Completely agree, he kept his head, the 911 dispatcher was excellent and the police had a good response time.
Barely....
Let's hope that gloves are not going to be banned as being dangerous weapons.
But they are probably on a checklist of everyday items that can be used as burglar tools.