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Paul Pelosi attack: David DePape says he wanted to hurt others
On Friday, Bay Area Fox affiliate KTVU received a call from the San Francisco jail, according to reporter Amber Lee. She said it was DePape.
“What I did was really bad,” the man says in the audio. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get more of them. … I should’ve come better prepared.”
DePape spoke about his perceived enemies uninterrupted as if he were reading a script, Lee said during an interview with her station.
At the start of the nearly six-minute call, Lee said, she was told that she could record it but that she was not allowed to challenge DePape’s statements or ask follow-up questions because he didn’t want the call to affect his legal case.
The phone call came hours after authorities released evidence including the police body-camera footage from the night of the attack at the Pelosis’ home in the posh Pacific Heights neighborhood. DePape told Lee that he saw the video.
In the footage, Paul Pelosi, 82, and DePape can be seen struggling for control of a hammer. DePape wrests the weapon from Paul Pelosi and strikes him in the head, before officers tackle him to the ground.
Pelosi suffered a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and his hands. He spent six days at a hospital and was expected to make a full recovery.
The attack on Pelosi, which took place a few days before the midterm election that would lead to Democrats losing control of the House, is widely considered an act of political violence. The attacker has said he had intended to kidnap Nancy Pelosi (D), who at the time was speaker of the House but has since stepped aside from party leadership.
In a public statement Friday, DePape’s public defender, Adam Lipson, said releasing the body-camera footage is disrespectful to Paul Pelosi and could spark unfounded theories about the case, jeopardizing DePape’s ability to get a fair trial.
Lipson did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment Sunday morning.
Lee had tried to contact DePape after his arrest, but the phone call Friday was unexpected, she said on KTVU. Lee and KTVU did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment Sunday morning.
DePape told Lee that freedom and liberty in the United States were “being killed systematically and deliberatively,” and that he found “names and addresses” of those he deemed responsible. He wanted to “have a heart-to-heart chat about their bad behavior.”
A blog filled with baseless claims and screeds against Jews, Black people, the media and transgender people was written under DePape’s name and registered to his former address last August, The Post confirmed. The blog also included pro-Trump and anti-Democratic posts.
After DePape was arrested, he told the authorities that his intention was to “detain and injure Speaker Pelosi,” according to a federal court filing. He told investigators that she was “the ‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party.” He had brought zip ties, a roll of tape, rope, a journal and the hammer to the Pelosi residence. Pelosi was not at home when DePape entered.
DePape, a Canadian citizen who was in the United States illegally, faces possible deportation once his criminal cases are resolved. His relatives told Canadian media that DePape grew up in British Columbia and it is unclear how he ended up in Northern California.
He is charged in state and federal courts with counts that include attempted kidnapping of a federal officer and assault on a family member of a federal official. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment.
Reis Thebault, Danielle Paquette, Justine McDaniel and Maria Sacchetti contributed to this report.
Paul Pelosi attacker trafficks in conspiracy theories in call to TV station after video release
CNN
—
The man who attacked the husband of Nancy Pelosi in their home last year showed no remorse and continued his dangerous fixation on the former House speaker in a bizarre phone call to a San Francisco reporter on Friday, according to the Bay Area station’s reporting.
David DePape called KTVU’s Amber Lee from the San Francisco County Jail on the same day the attack footage was released, with what he called “an important message for everyone in America.”
Without mentioning Pelosi by name, DePape said he had gathered “names and addresses” of people he believed were “systematically and deliberately” destroying American freedom and liberty and said he wanted to “have a heart-to-heart chat about their bad behavior.”
DePape added that he should have been “better prepared,” adding that he was sorry that he “didn’t get more of them.”
KTVU said their reporter was not allowed to ask follow-up questions of DePape during the phone conversation, which he allowed to be recorded.
The call came on the same day that a California court released video of the attack, audio of the 911 call and his initial police interview after the arrest in which he echoed right-wing extremist views, including MAGA tropes that underscored how he was influenced by dangerous rhetoric and conspiracies.
DePape also told a San Francisco police officer in October that the reason he went to the Pelosis’ San Francisco home was because he believed that the then-speaker was “the leader of the pack” of all the politicians in Washington, DC, “lying on a consistent basis.”
In laying out his reasons for enacting the attack, DePape epitomizes how dangerous unsubstantiated political rhetoric that enters the mainstream has contributed to political violence nationwide.
US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said earlier this month that threats against members of Congress is “still too high” even though threat investigations dropped in 2022 for the first time in five years. Federal law enforcement agencies have consistently warned about the increasing threat of politically motivated violence after rioters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, raising specific concerns about the likelihood that online calls for violence result in real-world attacks.
DePape claimed in his October interview that Democrats, led by Pelosi, spied on former President Donald Trump in a way that was worse than Watergate, when then-President Richard Nixon was forced to resign after it was discovered his administration tried to cover up a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
“When Trump came into office, what they did went so far beyond spying on a rival campaign. It is just crazy,” DePape said in an audio recording of his interview with a San Francisco police officer in October.
Without evidence, DePape claimed that Democrats were on an “endless f**king crime spree” when it came to Trump.
“Not only were they spying on a rival campaign, they were submitting fake evidence to spy on a rival campaign, covering it up, persecuting the rival campaign,” DePape said of what he believed Democrats were doing to Trump.
DePape said that these actions originated with Hillary Clinton, who unsuccessfully ran against Trump in 2016, and that all Democrats are “criminals.” But he zeroed in on Pelosi as the one who “ran with the lying.”
DePape is facing both state and federal charges related to the attack. He has pleaded not guilty.
The video and audio were released by a court Friday, over the objections of DePape’s attorneys who argued it would “irreparably damage” his right to a fair trial. Media outlets, including CNN, pressed the court to release the information.
Stunning SFPD bodycam video shows DePape’s violent assault of Paul Pelosi
SAN FRANCISCO — Without warning or hesitation, David DePape swings a hammer, slamming it into the head of Paul Pelosi as San Francisco police officers stand nearby, attempting to defuse the early morning confrontation in the doorway of Nancy Pelosi’s family home.
The images from the SFPD bodycams are stunning. The video was made public Friday morning after San Francisco Superior Court Judge Stephen M. Murphy — at the legal urging of news outlets — ruled there was no reason to keep the footage secret.
The early morning break-in and assault on Oct. 28 at the Pelosi’s Pacific Heights home sent shockwaves across the nation’s divided political landscape.
San Francisco Superior Court
Along with the body cam video, the release of evidence included the 911 call, home security footage, and a portion of an interview conducted with DePape.
During the 9-1-1 call, Pelosi is heard calmly trying to relay information to the dispatcher.
“This is San Francisco police,” the dispatcher said. “Do you need help?”
“Well, there’s a gentleman here,” answered Paul Pelosi. “Who is waiting for my wife to come back. Nancy Pelosi.”
For about three minutes, Pelosi tries to explain what’s unfolding to the dispatcher.
“I’ve got a problem,” he said. “But he thinks everything’s good.”
At one point, DePape even joins in on the conversation.
“My name is David,” he said aloud.
“And who is David,” the dispatcher asked.
“I don’t know,” Pelosi said.”
“I’m a friend of theirs,” DePape added.
“He wants me to get the hell off the phone,” Pelosi finally says.
The police body camera video shows officers approaching the home and knocking on the front door. After a few seconds, the front door opens, revealing Pelosi standing alongside DePape. Both are holding onto a hammer, and DePape is gripping Pelosi’s wrist.
The police exchange a few words with the men, and officers order DePape to drop the hammer.
“Um, nope,” DePape responds, yanking the hammer away and swinging it at Pelosi.
Police then rush into the home and pull DePape off Pelosi, who remained on the floor. Police can be heard requesting backup as they handcuffed DePape.
The 82-year-old Pelosi suffered a fractured skull and injuries to his arms and hands and underwent surgery after the attack. DePape, 42, allegedly broke into the home shortly after 2 a.m. and demanded to know where the congresswoman was. Paul Pelosi was eventually able to make a surreptitious 911 call that authorities have said likely saved his life.
The home security footage shows DePape walking up to a back patio door and peering inside before walking away and retrieving two backpacks. DePape is then seen putting on gloves and breaking the glass of the patio door before entering the home.
Security camera video (edited for brevity):
But both sides in the case objected to the release of the images.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s office argued releasing the footage publicly would only allow people to manipulate it in their quest to spread false information.
Public defender Adam Lipson, who is representing DePape, released an additional statement Friday.
“I think it was a terrible mistake to release this evidence, and in particular the video. Releasing this footage is disrespectful to Mr. Pelosi, and serves no purpose except to feed the public desire for spectacle and violence,” the statement read. “The footage is inflammatory and could feed unfounded theories about this case, and we are extremely concerned about Mr. DePape’s ability to get a fair trial.”
“It’s a concern for the defense, and that, in turn, becomes a concern for the district attorney,” explained attorney and former Federal Prosecutor Tony Brass. “Because the district attorney does not want to provide a change of venue motion to the defense, who can then take a case on the road someplace, when it’s a legitimate San Francisco case.”
Authorities said DePape intended to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and told officers he wanted to “break her kneecaps.” The congresswoman was in Washington, D.C., at the time of the home invasion and attack. She announced the following month she was stepping down from Democratic leadership, though remaining in Congress.
Also released Friday was a recording of the SFPD interview of DePape
After reading him his rights, police ask DePape how he ended up at the Pelosi home, which prompted DePape to complain about dishonesty in Washington, and Nancy Pelosi lying about Donald Trump.
They go from one crime, to another crime, to another time, to another crime,” DePape says in the recording. “It’s just like the whole f—–g four years, until they could finally steal the election.”
From there, DePape outlined a plan to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, saying he knew he was on camera at the Pelosi home, and that Paul Pelosi only woke up when he reached the bedroom.
“And so then he basically wakes up,” DePape said. “And we’re kind of talking. I don’t really have the specifics, but like, vaguely, I kind of told him that I was looking for Nancy Pelosi. And he’s like, ‘she’s not here.'”
DePape said he also knew the 9-1-1 call was certain to bring the police.
“There’s no way they got that f—–g phone call and they ain’t f—–g coming here,” he said during the questioning.
“Why didn’t you think about leaving,” San Francisco Police asked. “You knew they were coming. Why not just leave?”
“It’s like the founding fathers,” DePape answered. “They fought the British. They fought the tyranny. They didn’t just f—–g surrender to it. And when I left my house, I left to go fight tyranny. I did not leave to go surrender.”
Finally, DePape described the encounter at the front door, saying he thought Pelosi let his guard down upon seeing police, and that he tried to hit Pelosi full force.
“It’s like, I didn’t come to surrender,” DePape said. “And I told him that I would go through him. So I basically yanked it away from him, and I hit him.”
Depape has pleaded not guilty to a list of state and federal charges. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 23rd.
Meanwhile, there is a parallel prosecution going on in federal court where the Richmond man has been charged with assault and attempted kidnapping. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and is being held without bail.
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At DePape’s preliminary hearing, officer Kyle Cagney — who was among those who responded to the home — described the doorway confrontation and displayed the hammer to the courtroom.
Vicki Behringer
Prosecutors say an enraged DePape allegedly broke into the home searching for the former House speaker, who was in Washington at the time.
Court records say the San Francisco police “recovered zip ties in Pelosi’s bedroom and in the hallway near the front door of the Pelosi residence” and found “a roll of tape, white rope, one hammer, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and a journal” in his backpack.
AP Photo
Since undergoing surgery hours after the attack, Paul Pelosi has been recovering mostly in private away from the limelight.
Nancy Pelosi told reporters her husband’s well-being was paramount and she did not know if she would view the video once it was released.
“With a grateful heart and on behalf of my entire family, that we continue to thank people for all of their prayers that they continue to send us,” she said. “Asking about the progress my husband is making. And he is making progress, but it will take more time.”
“As you know, today, there was a release of some information. I have not heard the 911 call. I have not heard the conversion. I have not seen the break in. And I have absolutely no intention of seeing the deadly assault on my husband’s life. I won’t be making any more statements about this case. As it proceeds, except to again, thank people and inform them of Paul’s progress. But that will be the end of what I’ll say about the case.”
Wilson Walker contributed to this report.
Video of Paul Pelosi attack released, showing suspect swinging a hammer at him
Video and audio of the violent October attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was released to the public Friday.
It was released after San Francisco Superior Court Judge Stephen M. Murphy ruled there was no reason to keep the footage secret, especially after prosecutors played it in open court during a preliminary hearing last month.
The video shows police approaching the home and knocking on the front door. After a few seconds, the front door opens, revealing Pelosi standing alongside a second man, later identified as David DePape. DePape and Pelosi are both holding onto a hammer.
San Francisco Superior Court
The police exchange a few words with the men, then see the hammer and tell him to drop the weapon.
“Um, nope,” DePape responds, yanking the hammer away and swinging it at Pelosi.
Police then rush into the home and pull DePape off Pelosi, who remains on the floor. Police can be heard requesting backup as they handcuff the suspect.
Pelosi, who is 82, suffered a fractured skull and injuries to his arms and hands, and underwent surgery after the early-morning attack in the couple’s San Francisco home. DePape, 42, allegedly broke into the home around 2 a.m. and demanded to know where the congresswoman was. Paul Pelosi was able to call 911.
“Our officers observed Mr. Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer,” said San Francisco Police Chief William Scott in October. “The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it.”
An excerpt of security footage from a camera outside the Pelosi home was also released by the court Friday. It shows the suspect walking around the house, peering inside, and sitting down in the yard before pulling on a pair of gloves, smashing a hammer at a door or window, and then climbing through.
Authorities said DePape intended to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and told officers he wanted to “break her kneecaps.” The congresswoman was in Washington, D.C., at the time. She announced the following month she was stepping down from Democratic leadership, though remaining in Congress.
The congresswoman said Friday her husband continues to make progress.
“I have not heard the 911 call. I have not heard the confession. I have not seen the break-in and I have absolutely no intention of seeing the deadly assault on my husband’s life,” she told reporters after the video was released.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to six charges that include 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.
Court records say the San Francisco police “recovered zip ties in Pelosi’s bedroom and in the hallway near the front door of the Pelosi residence” and found “a roll of tape, white rope, one hammer, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and a journal” in his backpack.
News organizations, including CBS News, sought the material played in court, including audio from Pelosi’s 911 call, police bodycam footage and surveillance footage and clips of a police interview. ABC, NBC, Fox, The Washington Post and The New York Times, among others, joined in that request, The Associated Press reported,
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson, who represents David DePape, said he thought it was “a terrible mistake” to release the video and other evidence in the case.
“The footage is inflammatory and could feed unfounded theories about this case, and we are extremely concerned about Mr. DePape’s ability to get a fair trial,” Lipson said in a statement.
“Appealing the release of this evidence is a difficult question since the damage has been done. But we are evaluating our options for this case and intend to continue providing Mr. DePape the vigorous defense that he’s entitled to.”
Video of Paul Pelosi attack released, showing suspect swinging a hammer at him
Video and audio of the violent October attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was released to the public Friday.
It was released after San Francisco Superior Court Judge Stephen M. Murphy ruled there was no reason to keep the footage secret, especially after prosecutors played it in open court during a preliminary hearing last month.
The video shows police approaching the home and knocking on the front door. After a few seconds, the front door opens, revealing Pelosi standing alongside a second man, later identified as David DePape. DePape and Pelosi are both holding onto a hammer.
San Francisco Superior Court
The police exchange a few words with the men, then see the hammer and tell him to drop the weapon.
“Um, nope,” DePape responds, yanking the hammer away and swinging it at Pelosi.
Police then rush into the home and pull DePape off Pelosi, who remains on the floor. Police can be heard requesting backup as they handcuff the suspect.
Pelosi, who is 82, suffered a fractured skull and injuries to his arms and hands, and underwent surgery after the early-morning attack in the couple’s San Francisco home. DePape, 42, allegedly broke into the home around 2 a.m. and demanded to know where the congresswoman was. Paul Pelosi was able to call 911.
“Our officers observed Mr. Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer,” said San Francisco Police Chief William Scott in October. “The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it.”
An excerpt of security footage from a camera outside the Pelosi home was also released by the court Friday. It shows the suspect walking around the house, peering inside, and sitting down in the yard before pulling on a pair of gloves, smashing a hammer at a door or window, and then climbing through.
Authorities said DePape intended to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and told officers he wanted to “break her kneecaps.” The congresswoman was in Washington, D.C., at the time. She announced the following month she was stepping down from Democratic leadership, though remaining in Congress.
The congresswoman said Friday her husband continues to make progress.
“I have not heard the 911 call. I have not heard the confession. I have not seen the break-in and I have absolutely no intention of seeing the deadly assault on my husband’s life,” she told reporters after the video was released.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to six charges that include 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.
Court records say the San Francisco police “recovered zip ties in Pelosi’s bedroom and in the hallway near the front door of the Pelosi residence” and found “a roll of tape, white rope, one hammer, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and a journal” in his backpack.
News organizations, including CBS News, sought the material played in court, including audio from Pelosi’s 911 call, police bodycam footage and surveillance footage and clips of a police interview. ABC, NBC, Fox, The Washington Post and The New York Times, among others, joined in that request, The Associated Press reported,
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson, who represents David DePape, said he thought it was “a terrible mistake” to release the video and other evidence in the case.
“The footage is inflammatory and could feed unfounded theories about this case, and we are extremely concerned about Mr. DePape’s ability to get a fair trial,” Lipson said in a statement.
“Appealing the release of this evidence is a difficult question since the damage has been done. But we are evaluating our options for this case and intend to continue providing Mr. DePape the vigorous defense that he’s entitled to.”
Video of Paul Pelosi Attack Shows Intruder Striking Former House Speaker’s Husband With a Hammer
Video and audio evidence from the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband was released Friday, showing for the first time the sequence of events that ended with 82 year-old
Paul Pelosi
being knocked unconscious with a hammer as police officers tackled his assailant.
Some of the evidence was previously shown in court proceedings in the case against David DePape, who is being held without bond on charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse in the Oct. 28 attack on Mr. Pelosi. Mr. DePape has pleaded not guilty.
The evidence released Friday, which includes police body-camera footage, is the first opportunity for the public to see and hear in detail the events leading up to and including a predawn assault, which focused attention on violence aimed at politicians in the U.S.
Its release came after a coalition of news organizations filed a motion earlier this month requesting to see the evidence, which prosecutors had previously withheld. Judge Stephen Murphy of San Francisco Superior Court granted the motion Wednesday.
Adam Lipson, a San Francisco deputy public defender representing Mr. DePape, said it was, “a terrible mistake to release this evidence, and in particular the video. Releasing this footage is disrespectful to Mr. Pelosi, and serves no purpose except to feed the public desire for spectacle and violence.”
He also said the release would make it hard for his client to get a fair trial.
Mrs. Pelosi, who was speaker of the House of Representatives until earlier this month, said Friday that she had no intention of watching the newly released evidence and thanked people for their prayers.
The video begins with footage from a Capitol Police camera trained on the Pelosi home in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood; it shows Mr. DePape—wearing shorts and a jacket—walking up to a rear entrance at 3:04 a.m., taking out a claw hammer from a bag and putting on gloves.
After looking around several times, he initially pushed the head of the hammer against the glass in a set of french doors. When it wouldn’t open, he swung with full force 16 times until the glass shattered and then pushed his way through, shoulder first.
The next evidence released is audio of Mr. Pelosi’s call to 911 a few minutes later, in which he tried to convey to a dispatcher that he needed help.
Mr. Pelosi told Mr. DePape he had to use the bathroom and called 911 from a phone charging there, a person with knowledge of the incident previously said.
“I guess I called by mistake,” Mr. Pelosi said at first to the operator. After she asked if he needed help, he told her, “There’s a gentleman here just waiting for my wife to come back,
Nancy Pelosi.
She’s not going to be here for days, so I guess we’ll have to wait.”
When asked by the 911 operator if he knew the man, Mr. Pelosi said he didn’t. Mr. DePape can then be heard saying, “My name is David. I’m a friend of theirs.”
Mr. Pelosi then hung up after saying, “He wants me to get the hell off the phone.”
Body camera footage of two San Francisco police officers dispatched to the home subsequently show them knocking on the front door. Mr. Pelosi opened the door, looking disheveled and not wearing pants, with his hand on a hammer that Mr. DePape is holding. After an officer asks, “What’s going on, man?”, Mr. DePape answered “Everything’s good.”
An officer then ordered him to “drop the hammer,” after which the suspect answered “Um, nope” and began struggling with the smaller Mr. Pelosi for control. He quickly pinned the older man’s right arm to free the hammer and then raised it over his head to strike Mr. Pelosi.
A door obscures Mr. Pelosi at this point, but the footage then shows the officers tackling Mr. DePape and handcuffing him as he lies on the floor, partially atop Mr. Pelosi, who appears to be unconscious.
Mr. Pelosi was treated at a local trauma center and later released home, where his wife said he faced a long recovery. Mrs. Pelosi said Friday that her husband is making progress on his recovery, but it will take more time.
—Natalie Andrews contributed to this article.
Write to Jim Carlton at Jim.Carlton@wsj.com
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Body camera footage shows moment Paul Pelosi was attacked with hammer
The tapes illuminate a harrowing sequence: Pelosi alerting a 911 dispatcher of an armed man who was feet away, listening to the call and interjecting comments; DePape beating Pelosi in plain view of the officers; and DePape, after his arrest, describing his plans to kidnap and snap the bones of the then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Clips of the break-in and assault at the Pelosi home in San Francisco before dawn on Oct. 28 were shown in court last month but, until now, had been otherwise shielded from view.
Wild rumors, amplified by conservative activists and bloggers, had surged after the 2 a.m. attack 11 days before the 2022 midterm elections, and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office argued that unsealing video and audio could fuel more misinformation while risking DePape’s right to a fair trial. Someone, for instance, could edit the clips to manipulate audiences on social media.
But Murphy ruled that footage playing in a public courtroom should be handed to the media.
“These are open facts. They are known facts,” said Thomas Burke, a lawyer representing the coalition of news organizations that pushed for access to the evidence, including The Post. “The public’s right of access should not be dependent on conspiracy theories.”
The internet gossip had spread rapidly to Capitol Hill, where Republican officials groundlessly cast doubt on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi’s account of the violence and referenced baseless homophobic conspiracy theories.
Prosecutors, however, have said that what happened was clear — and that DePape himself outlined his actions in tapes like those just publicly released.
“The most stark evidence of planning and motive in this case were the statements of the defendant himself,” San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Phoebe Maffei said at the December hearing.
In the now-public interview with police, DePape told an investigator: “I’m not trying to get away with this. I know exactly what I did.”
The audio and videos, part of a large cache of evidence authorities have gathered against DePape, further debunk the claims made by far-right actors, mainstream politicians and Twitter owner Elon Musk, who used his platform to spread misinformation before backpedaling hours later.
Some claimed that DePape, whose descent into extremism is laid out in a long online trail, was not animated by radical right-wing politics; others said, without evidence, that DePape hadn’t actually broken into the house.
But in his interview with police, DePape says he was trying to punish Nancy Pelosi for what he called the Democratic Party’s “lies” and “crimes.” Also included in the tranche of released evidence was a six-minute video capturing the moment DePape broke in through a back door.
The black-and-white security-camera video shows DePape banging a hammer against the door until he is able to enter.
Musk, along with Republicans like former president Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), who each trafficked in the conspiracy theories after the attack, did not address the recordings that undercut many of their earlier claims.
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill on Friday afternoon, Nancy Pelosi said she has not reviewed any of the newly released evidence and will not do so.
“I have not heard the 911 call. I have not heard the confession,” she said. “I have not seen the break-in, and I have absolutely no intention of seeing the deadly assault on my husband’s life.”
DePape’s public defender, Adam Lipson, said the decision to release the tapes was “a terrible mistake.”
“Releasing this footage is disrespectful to Mr. Pelosi, and serves no purpose except to feed the public desire for spectacle and violence,” Lipson said in a statement. “The footage is inflammatory and could feed unfounded theories about this case, and we are extremely concerned about Mr. DePape’s ability to get a fair trial.”
DePape was 42 at the time of his arrest, and he told police that he showed up at the Pelosis’ home in San Francisco’s upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood because Nancy Pelosi was “the ‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party.”
He said he planned to hold her hostage and break her kneecaps if she lied to him to “show other members of Congress there were consequences to actions.”
But Pelosi was in Washington that day. It was her husband who woke to the intruder carrying a hammer, zip ties, rope and a roll of tape. Paul Pelosi talked to DePape before managing to go to the bathroom and call 911, authorities said.
He appeared to choose his words carefully.
“Okay, well, I got a problem, but he thinks everything is good,” Pelosi told the dispatcher, according to a recording played at a December hearing.
Eventually, both men went downstairs. When police arrived, Paul Pelosi opened the door.
The shaky body-camera footage shows Pelosi and DePape standing in the entrance, each with a hand on the hammer.
“Drop the hammer,” one officer says.
“Um, nope,” DePape responds before striking Pelosi.
Pelosi fell to the ground, the video shows. Blood seeped onto the floor around his head as officers tackled DePape.
Pelosi, who was hospitalized with a fractured skull and injuries to his right arm and hands, is expected to make a full recovery. DePape has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges that include attempted murder.
The attack and the targeting of the House speaker reinvigorated concerns about the nation’s deeply polarized political culture. The longtime congresswoman has long been demonized by Republicans, and rioters yelled that they were searching for her while rushing U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Groundless conspiracy theories appeared to have motivated DePape, who had published online rants full of racist and antisemitic themes. He had compiled a list of other targets, he told investigators, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and President Biden’s son Hunter Biden.
“It’s an endless f—ing crime spree,” DePape said in the interview with Sgt. Carla Hurley of the San Francisco police shortly after getting arrested.
Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.
Paul Pelosi attack video released
CNN
—
San Francisco Superior Court on Friday released video and audio recorded during last year’s attack on Paul Pelosi after a California court ruled the district attorney’s office must make the materials public.
One of the videos shows body-cam footage from officers who arrived at Pelosi’s home on October 28, 2022, when he was attacked. The footage shows the chaos of the moment in which alleged assailant David DePape attacked the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In the video, Paul Pelosi and DePape both appear to have a hand on the hammer and DePape is holding Pelosi’s arm when the officers opened the door.
“Drop the hammer,” the officer says.
“Uh, nope,” DePape responds.
DePape then grabbed the hammer out of Pelosi’s hand and lunged toward him. The officers rushed into the home, subduing DePape and handcuffing him.
CNN has obtained the CD containing the files released by the court. In addition to the body-cam footage, the files include audio from police interviews with DePape, the 911 call Paul Pelosi made while DePape was in the home and home surveillance video, the court previously said.
The videos were exhibits in a preliminary court hearing. The court’s decision mandating the public release of the materials came following a motion by a coalition of news organizations, including CNN, arguing that the circumstances involving the residence of the then-speaker of the House demanded transparency.
Lawyers for DePape argued against the public release of the audio and footage, writing it would “irreparably damage” his right to a fair trial. DePape has pleaded not guilty to a litany of state and federal crimes related to the attack, including assault and attempted murder.
Pelosi was violently attacked in October with a hammer at the couple’s home by a male assailant who was searching for the then-House speaker, according to court documents – a development that ultimately drove Nancy Pelosi’s decision to step back from House Democratic leadership.
Court documents revealed DePape allegedly woke Paul Pelosi shortly after 2 a.m., carrying a large hammer and several white zip ties, and demanded: “Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” He then threatened to tie up Paul Pelosi and prevented him from escaping via elevator, according to the documents. DePape later allegedly told him, “I can take you out.”
Paul Pelosi placed a 911 call after convincing the assailant to let him go to the bathroom, where his phone was charging, and he spoke cryptically to police.
Following the attack, Paul Pelosi underwent surgery “to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.
On Thursday, the Democratic congresswoman told reporters that her husband’s recovery is “one day at a time.”
“He’s made some progress but it’ll be about at least three more months, I think, until he’ll be back to normal, but the prayers are very helpful,” Pelosi said.
She told reporters Thursday that she had not seen video from the incident and does not know if she will.
“It would be a very hard thing to see an assault on my husband’s life. But I don’t know.”
Paul Pelosi: Court orders the release of video capturing the attack on Paul Pelosi at his San Francisco home
CNN
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Video and audio recorded last year during the attack on Paul Pelosi in the San Francisco home he shares with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be released on Friday, according to the San Francisco Superior Court.
The released material will include 911 audio calls, police body camera footage and home surveillance video, as well as other investigative material, the court said in a news release.
The California court ruled Wednesday that the district attorney’s office must make the materials public, along with audio from police interviews with David DePape, the alleged attacker.
The decision came following a motion by a coalition of news organizations, including CNN, seeking the release of the material on arguments that the circumstances involving the residence of the then-speaker of the House demanded transparency.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to a litany of state and federal crimes, including assault and attempted murder. His lawyers argued against the public release of the audio and footage, writing it would “irreparably damage” his right to a fair trial.
Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that she has not seen the video and does not know if she will.
“I don’t have anything to do with the legalities of this. I respect the system. My concern is my husband’s … my husband’s well-being and we take that day to day,” she said. “We’re really grateful to the outpouring of prayers and support for him and that is what our focus is. The justice system, we have confidence in, and whatever that is, it is.”
Paul Pelosi was violently attacked in October with a hammer at the couple’s home by a male assailant who was searching for the House speaker, according to court documents – a development that ultimately drove the then-speaker’s decision to leave House Democratic leadership.
Pelosi underwent surgery “to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands” following the incident, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. The California Democratic congresswoman told reporters Thursday that her husband continues to recover.
“It’s one day at a time. He’s made some progress but it’ll be about at least three more months, I think, until he’ll be back to normal, but the prayers are very helpful,” she said.
Court documents revealed DePape allegedly woke Paul Pelosi shortly after 2 a.m., carrying a large hammer and several white zip ties, and demanded: “Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” He then threatened to tie up Paul Pelosi and prevented him from escaping via elevator, according to the documents. DePape later allegedly told him, “I can take you out.”
Pelosi placed a 911 call during the attack after convincing the assailant to let him go to the bathroom, where his phone was charging, and he spoke cryptically to police. CNN previously reported that police body cam footage from the incident is expected to show what officers saw when Paul Pelosi opened the door and his assailant attacked him with a hammer, fracturing his skull.
A limited number of Pelosi family members met with authorities in November to listen to the call and to view the footage, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” at the time, confirming details first reported by CNN.
“I don’t even know if I will see it. It would be a very hard thing to see an assault on my husband’s life. But I don’t know,” Nancy Pelosi said Thursday.
This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.