Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis delivered to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
US intelligence agencies have issued a dire warning of an increase in domestic violence extremism (DVE) around November’s midterm elections, as the husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi continues to recover from a terrifying hammer attack. A joint briefing was sent to US law enforcement partners on Friday, warning that DVE and “perceptions” of electoral fraud could lead to an increase in violence – particularly by “lone offenders”. Lawmakers, political candidates and election workers will be the most “attractive targets” for extremists, he warned. The bulletin came hours after 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker Pelosi, was attacked inside the couple’s San Francisco home. Police said David DePape, 42, broke into the home around 2 a.m. local time Friday looking for the Democrat, who was not home at the time. Mr. Pelosi managed to secretly call 911, and when officers arrived on the scene, they saw Depp hitting him with a hammer. Mr. DePape faces charges including attempted murder. Pelosi underwent surgery for a fractured skull and is expected to make a full recovery.
What we know so far
Paul Pelosi attacked by man armed with hammer in targeted home attack David DePape, 42, now in custody, entered the house shouting “where is Nancy” Paul Pelosi successfully underwent surgery for a fractured skull Suspect posted online about QAnon and Covid conspiracy theories Paul Pelosi made 911 secret and spoke in code to the dispatcher to alert the authorities The attack comes amid an increase in violence and threats against lawmakers
Show latest update 1667080810
AOC slams Kevin McCarthy for saying ‘nothing’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for saying “nothing” after the violent hammer attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband. The New York Democrat hit out at the Republican, comparing his silence on the attack on Paul Pelosi to his refusal to take action when a GOP lawmaker posted an anime video of the AOC being killed. “Last year, a GOP congressman shared a video of himself killing me. When House moved for impeachment, @GOPLeader stood up for him,” the AOC tweeted on Saturday. “Yesterday, a man who shares this member’s rhetoric attempted to assassinate the President and her wife. What did @GOPLeader say? Nothing. That’s him”. Last November, representative Paul Gosar posted an anime video on social media that depicted him killing AOC. He was eventually convicted by Parliament and stripped of his commissions. Only two Republicans — Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger — voted with Democrats to impeach him. Mr McCarthy refused to support the censure. After Friday’s attack on Mr. Pelosi, a spokesman for Mr. McCarthy said he had “reached out to the President to check on Paul” and was praying for his recovery. However, the House Minority Leader has not spoken publicly about the attack that left the 82-year-old hospitalized with a fractured skull. His silence comes after several other Republicans spoke out to condemn the attack. Former Vice President Mike Pence – who was chased by Donald Trump supporters chanting “Hang Mike Pence” during the riot on Capitol Hill – said the incident was an “outrage”. “This is an outrage and our hearts go out to the entire Pelosi family. We pray that Paul makes a full recovery,” he tweeted. “There can be no tolerance for violence against public servants or their families. This man should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also condemned the incident, saying he was “horrified and disgusted” by what had happened. Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 23:00 1667077210
Search warrants were sought in connection with the attack
Search warrants are being sought and/or executed as part of the investigation into the attack on Paul Pelosi, according to a report. Sources told ABC News that both federal and local investigators are looking into the background and movements of David De Pape after Friday’s attack on the Speaker of the House’s husband — including a close look at his social media accounts. Mr. DePape’s online history reveals a deep-seated obsession with far-right conspiracy theories. In blog posts and social media pages, the 42-year-old has aired transphobic, anti-Semitic and racist views and promoted conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 vaccine, the Holocaust and QAnon. Mr. DePape, 42, already faces state charges of attempted murder, elder abuse and other felonies. Federal charges could also be on the table. Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 22:00 1667075410
Neighbors say David DePape lived in a school bus
David DePape was reportedly living inside a yellow school bus in the weeks before the day he allegedly broke into Speaker Pelosi’s home and attacked her husband with a hammer. Neighbors told the New York Post that the 42-year-old lived in Berkeley, California, at the home of former activist partner Gypsy Taub, but had recently moved into a dilapidated bus on the property. Ryan La Coste said Mr DePape “usually kept to himself” and would try to stay away from him when he saw him around. “He gave us a blank look when we walked by,” he said. “We tried to stay away from him … No one knew he was here because he would be on the bus or just not communicating.” Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 21:30 1667073610
Listen to the audio dispatch about the attack
Police were called to Paul and Nancy Pelosi’s home after the Speaker of the House’s husband managed to call 911 and leave the line open so the operator could hear what was going on. In a police audio clip, from 2:28 a.m. local time, a dispatcher can be heard saying how the caller “stated there is a male at his home and he is going to be waiting for his wife.” The caller, later identified as Paul Pelosi, “stated he didn’t know who the man was, but he said his name was David and he was a friend,” the operator said. Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 21:00 1667071840
Donald Trump fails to address Pelosi attack – more than 24 hours later
Donald Trump failed to acknowledge the violent attack on Paul Pelosi, remaining silent on the incident more than 24 hours later. The former president has made several posts on his Truth Social platform on Friday and Saturday – none of which mention the hammer attack that left the 82-year-old needing surgery for a fractured skull. His silence echoes his silence on January 6, when his supporters stormed the US Capitol, some of them chanting “where’s Nancy” and ransacking the Speaker of the House’s office. For several hours that day, Mr. Trump failed to address the nation or condemn the violence. Meanwhile, several other Republicans condemned the attack on Mr. Pelosi and sent condolences to him and his wife, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 20:30 1667070040
Bill Maher says attack on Paul Pelosi is part of US ‘Cold Civil War’
Bill Maher has described the violent hammer attack on Paul Pelosi as part of what he described as a “cold civil war” taking place across America. The Real Time with Bill Maher host spoke about the incident on his show on Friday. “You know, this is this cold civil war that we’re in, that we’re hearing about,” he said. “Civil wars, it’s not going to be like the last civil war. It will be things like that. “And I think when you close that valve of letting people talk, I think things get worse.” Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 20:00 1667068240
Paul Pelosi fooled the striker by claiming he needed a bath
Paul Pelosi is said to have tricked his attacker into claiming he needed to use the bathroom, where he made a secret 911 call. Sources told the LA Times of Mr. Pelosi’s quick plan to alert law enforcement about what was going on. Once the call was made, he left the line open, allowing the dispatcher to listen in on the interactions between the two men. The operator recognized that something was wrong and dispatched police officers to the scene as an emergency. Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 19:30 1667066789
Rep. Debbie Dingell says violence ‘endangers our democracy’
Representative Debbie Dingell warned that politically motivated violence and threats “endanger our democracy” after the attack on Paul Pelosi – as she urged people to “disagree in an acceptable way”. Ms. Dingell told MSNBC on Friday that the attack on the Speaker of the House’s husband “is part of a pattern” that was taking place even before the riot at the US Capitol. “This is a trend we’ve seen even before January 6,” he said. She pointed to an incident where men armed with assault weapons gathered outside her home one night and Fox News host Tucker Carlson “did a consultation” on her for speaking out against the gunmen who gathered at the state Capitol in Michigan. “This hate and fear is dangerous. This anger that we see across the country, the aristocracy, the acceptance of language that shouldn’t be there, the bullying. “And I think we all need to take a deep breath because it’s putting our democracy at risk,” he said. He added: “I don’t care what party you are, I don’t want to see anyone I know Republican, Democrat or far right get hurt. “We all have to deal with this because if we don’t, our democracy is in real trouble.” Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 19:06 1667064640
Figures show an increase in threats against lawmakers
Friday’s attack on Paul Pelosi comes amid an increase in reported threats against members of Congress. Figures from the US Capitol Police reveal that reports of “inappropriate statements and threats” to members of Congress have nearly tripled over the past four years, from 3,939…
