October 31, 2022 The latest on Paul Pelosi's attack
By Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN
Updated 9:04 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
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8:42 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
Nancy Pelosi says husband "is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process"
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her husband Paul is making steady progress after being treated for injuries he sustained during a violent attack in their San Francisco home last week.
“Since the horrific attack on Paul early Friday, we have been deluged with thousands of messages conveying concern, prayers and warm wishes. We are most grateful," Pelosi said in a statement.
“Thanks to the excellent trauma care medical team at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Paul is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process. Our family thanks everyone for their kindness," the statement read.
8:01 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi faces state and federal charges. Here's what we know
Police tape blocks a street outside the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi in San Francisco, on October 28. Eric Risberg/AP
The man accused of using a hammer to attack Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at their San Francisco home on Friday faces federal and state charges, officials said Monday.
Here’s what happened, according to law enforcement:
Federal court filings said police arrived at the house shortly after Paul Pelosi called 911.
When the door opened, Pelosi and the suspect, David DePape, were both “holding a hammer with one hand and DePape had his other hand holding onto Pelosi’s forearm,” the FBI affidavit said.
When officers asked Pelosi and DePape to drop the hammer, DePape allegedly pulled it away and hit Pelosi in the head. A source familiar with the matter later told CNN that Pelosi was hit twice. San Francisco Police Chief William Scott previously said Pelosi was hit "at least once."
Pelosi “appeared to be unconscious on the ground” after the blow, according to the affidavit.
Pelosi was taken to the hospital and underwent a “successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” according to a previous statement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.
What else to know:
The charges
David DePape was charged with federal counts of assault and attempted kidnapping, the US attorney’s office for the Northern District of California announced. The attempted kidnapping charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and the assault charge has a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins also announced additional state charges, including attempted murder.
The break-in
The suspect was able to get into the house by breaking a rear glass door, Jenkins said, adding that DePape allegedly went upstairs to where Pelosi was sleeping. She said he woke him up and confronted him about the whereabouts of the speaker. Pelosi tried to get to the elevator in the home which had a phone in it, according to Jenkins, but the suspect blocked him. "It was at some point after that Mr. Pelosi asked to go to the bathroom, which is where he was able to call 911 from his cell phone," she said, adding that's when the suspect brought Pelosi downstairs near the front door.
Pelosi's 911 call
A court filing related to the federal charges said Paul Pelosi “stated words to the effect of there is a male in the home and that the male is going to wait for Pelosi’s wife. Pelosi further conveyed that he does not know who the male is. The male said his name is David,” an FBI agent said in a sworn affidavit. CNN has previously reported that Pelosi managed to keep the line open and the dispatcher could hear a conversation in the background.
Looking for Nancy Pelosi
DePape confessed in an interview with local police that he intended to find Nancy Pelosi and hold her hostage, the criminal complaint said. It added that DePape, “stated that he was going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her. If Nancy were to tell DePape the ‘truth,’ he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps.’” The affidavit further stated that DePape told police that Nancy Pelosi was the “leader of the pack” of lies promoted by the Democratic party.
Interviews with Pelosi and the suspect
Paul Pelosi was interviewed this weekend at the hospital by investigators and was able to provide details of the attack, two law enforcement sources and a source familiar with the matter told CNN. DePape was read his Miranda rights before he spoke with the police and confessed to his intentions to kidnap the top-ranking House Democrat, according to the filings.
Motive
Police have not officially determined the motive of the suspect. San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said in a news conference Friday that the attack was “intentional” and “not a random act.” The unsealed affidavit said, “DePape had zip ties, tape, rope, and at least one hammer with him that morning.”
What’s next: The suspect is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
6:52 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
Alleged attacker expected to be arraigned Tuesday
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkin speaks at a press conference on Monday. KPIX
The suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
David DePape has not yet made any court appearances related to the attack.
The district attorney said her office will be filing a motion to detain him without bail.
“That is based on what is obvious and severe public safety risk that the defendant poses to San Francisco as well as the outer community," she said at a news conference announcing the charges Monday.
If convicted, Jenkins said DePape could face 13 years to life in prison, she said.
Federal charges as well: Earlier on Monday, the US attorney’s office and San Francisco district attorney announced that DePape was charged with one count of “attempted kidnapping of a US official,” which relates to Nancy Pelosi, who DePape told police he planned to “hold hostage,” according to an FBI affidavit.
The attempted kidnapping charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
DePape also was charged with one count of assault on an immediate family member of a US official with the intent to retaliate against the official. That charge relates to a crime allegedly committed against Paul Pelosi and carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
6:15 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
Suspected attacker charged with additional state charges, including attempted murder
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced state charges against the man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
David DePape is now also facing several state charges, including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, Jenkins announced at a news conference Monday
He was charged earlier today with federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping.
The suspect confessed in an interview with local police that he intended to find Speaker Pelosi and hold her hostage, according to court documents.
6:48 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake appears to joke about Paul Pelosi attack
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake makes a campaign appearance at the Freedom & Faith Concert in Scottsdale, Arizona, on October 27. Alexandra Buxbaum/Sipa USA/AP
The Republican nominee in Arizona's gubernatorial race appeared to joke about the violent attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul.
Kari Lake was asked at a Scottsdale campaign event about her plans to increase school safety and she said:
"It is not impossible to protect our kids at school. They act like it is. Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protection when she’s in D.C. — apparently, her house doesn’t have a lot of protection."
The crowd burst into laughter and the moderator was laughing so hard he covered his face with his notes.
During her campaign for governor, Lake, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has echoed the former President's lies about the 2020 election being stolen, come out against vaccine mandates and said drag queens are dangerous to children.
Mixed response from Republicans: Several prominent Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have condemned the attack, though some others, including Trump, have offered a more tepid response.
6:41 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
Homeland Security chief on Paul Pelosi attack: "There's no place for it in this country"
From CNN's Geneva Sands and Priscilla Alvarez
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is seen during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. (CNN)
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a "horrific, violent attack,” during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
"There's no place for it in this country," he said in his first remarks since the attack last week, adding that it was difficult to label the incident "domestic terrorism" because of the legal implications of the term.
"This case is being investigated and prosecuted by local authorities, so I am going to let that process play out in a court of law," he said Monday.
On the same day that Pelosi was attacked, federal authorities warned in a joint assessment that domestic violent extremists pose a heightened threat to the 2022 midterm elections.
Asked if he was worried about copycat attacks, Mayorkas said, domestic violent extremism is "one of the greatest terrorism-related" threats to the US, noting that DHS tracks the threat environment and pushes information out to state and local law enforcement authorities, so they are alert to the threat.
Mayorkas said he has confidence in the integrity of the midterm elections.
"We've been working very, very closely with election officials — state and local — around the country, so we have confidence in the integrity of those elections, and it is fundamentally important that people exercise their right to vote. That is the foundation of our democracy," he said.
According to the bulletin, potential targets of violence include candidates running for public office, elected officials, election workers, political rallies, political party representatives, racial and religious minorities, or perceived ideological opponents.
5:26 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
Paul Pelosi was struck twice on the head with the hammer, source says
From CNN's Jamie Gangel and Jeremy Herb
Paul Pelosi was struck twice on the head with a hammer, according to a source familiar with the matter who provided CNN with more information about the attack in the wake of the federal criminal complaint Monday.
Pelosi needed surgery for a skull fracture and also had serious injuries to his hands and right arm, which led to his shirt being cut off at the hospital to treat his arm, the source said.
As of Monday evening, Pelosi remains in the intensive care unit of a San Francisco hospital.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said Friday that Pelosi “was struck at least one time.”
Pelosi was sleeping in boxer shorts and a pajama top in the third-floor bedroom of his San Francisco house, the source said, when authorities allege that David DePape broke in and woke him while looking for his wife, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Federal investigators accuse DePape of planning to kidnap Pelosi and break “her kneecaps” if she lied, according to the FBI affidavit unsealed Monday alongside the federal charges against DePape for assault and attempted kidnapping.
DePape is accused of striking Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer after the police showed up at the residence. The affidavit says that DePape pulled the hammer from Pelosi’s hand and struck him in the head, knocking him to the ground where he appeared to be unconscious.
DePape said in an interview with investigators that Paul Pelosi’s actions resulted in him “taking the punishment instead,” according to the FBI affidavit. DePape said in the interview that he went into the house intending to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage.
4:23 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
San Francisco district attorney expected to hold news conference to discuss state charges
From CNN’s Natasha Chen
The San Francisco District Attorney is expected to hold a press conference Monday to discuss state charges against David DePape, the man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer.
Federal charges were filed against DePape earlier today.
The update is expected to start around 6 p.m. ET.
4:12 p.m. ET, October 31, 2022
FBI affidavit: Paul Pelosi did not know his attacker
From CNN's Marshall Cohen
Paul Pelosi attends a reception for G7 presidents at the Brandenburg State Parliament in Germany last month. Soeren Stache/picture alliance/Getty Images/File
Paul Pelosi did not know the man who is accused of attacking him, according to both the 911 call and his initial interview with the San Francisco Police Department.
Pelosi told a 911 dispatcher during his initial call that “he does not know who the male is” that invaded his home, according to the FBI affidavit unsealed Monday alongside the federal charges.
Furthermore, the affidavit said, San Francisco Police Department officers interviewed Pelosi in the ambulance on the way to hospital, and he said “he had never seen DePape before,” referring to the suspect charged in the attack, David DePape.
Earlier on Monday, San Francisco Police Department Chief William Scott told CNN’s Ana Cabrera that Paul Pelosi didn’t know the suspect. The police chief said the wave of conspiracies about the case were “baseless” and “damaging” to the ongoing investigation.
