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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The hubby of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was attacked and severely beaten with a hammer by an assailant who broke into the couple’s San Francisco location aboriginal Friday, searching for the Democratic person and shouting, “Where is Nancy, wherever is Nancy?”
The battle connected the 82-year-old Paul Pelosi injected caller uneasiness into the nation’s already toxic governmental climate, conscionable 11 days earlier the midterm elections. It carried chilling echoes of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection astatine the Capitol, erstwhile rioters chanted menacingly for the talker arsenic they rampaged done the halls trying to halt certification of Joe Biden’s triumph implicit Donald Trump.
Speaker Pelosi, who was successful Washington astatine the clip of the California attack, arrived successful San Francisco precocious Friday. Her motorcade was seen arriving astatine the infirmary wherever her hubby was being treated for his injuries.
“This was not a random act. This was intentional. And it’s wrong,” said San Francisco Police Chief William Scott.
At an evening quality conference, Scott hailed a 911 dispatcher’s enactment — aft Paul Pelosi called for assistance — arsenic “lifesaving.” The main appeared to clasp backmost tears, his dependable breaking astatine times, arsenic helium powerfully rejected unit successful politics.
“Our elected officials are present to bash the concern of their cities and their counties and their states. Their families don’t motion up for this,” Scott said. “Everybody should beryllium disgusted astir what happened this morning.”
Forty-two-year-old David DePape was arrested connected suspicion of attempted murder, elder maltreatment and burglary, and remained successful the infirmary precocious Friday, constabulary said. Paul Pelosi underwent country to repair a skull fracture and superior injuries to his close limb and hands, and his doctors expect a afloat recovery, the speaker’s bureau said.
Biden rapidly called Speaker Pelosi with enactment and aboriginal delivered a full-throated condemnation of the “despicable” onslaught that helium said had nary spot successful America.
“There’s excessively overmuch violence, governmental violence. Too overmuch hatred. Too overmuch vitriol,” Biden said Friday nighttime astatine a Democratic rally successful Pennsylvania.
“What makes america deliberation it’s not going to corrode the governmental climate? Enough is capable is enough.”
Senate Republican person Mitch McConnell tweeted helium was “horrified and disgusted” by the assault.
The nation’s governmental rhetoric has go progressively alarming, with ominous threats to lawmakers astatine an all-time high. The House talker and different legislature leaders are provided 24-hour security, and progressively much different members present person constabulary protection. This, arsenic transgression and nationalist information person emerged arsenic apical issues for voters successful the election.
In San Francisco connected Friday, constabulary were called astatine astir 2.30 a.m. to the Pelosi residence to cheque connected Paul Pelosi, said Scott.
Scott confirmed that the intruder gained introduction done the rear doorway of the home, which is successful the upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood. Investigators judge the intruder broke done glass-paneled doors, according to 2 radical acquainted with the situation.
Paul Pelosi called 911 himself aft telling the intruder helium had to usage the restroom, wherever his telephone was charging, according to different idiosyncratic acquainted with the concern and granted anonymity to sermon it. The idiosyncratic said the intruder confronted the speaker’s hubby shouting, “Where is Nancy?”
Scott said the dispatcher figured retired determination was “something more” than she was being told, resulting successful a precedence dispatch and faster constabulary response. “I deliberation this was lifesaving,” helium noted.
Inside, constabulary discovered the suspect, DePape, and Paul Pelosi struggling implicit a hammer, and told them to driblet it, Scott said. DePape yanked the hammer from Pelosi and began beating him with it, striking astatine slightest 1 blow, earlier being tackled by officers and arrested, Scott said. The FBI and Capitol Police are besides portion of the associated investigation.
Police said a motive for Friday’s intrusion was inactive to beryllium determined, but 3 radical with cognition of the probe told The Associated Press that DePape targeted Pelosi’s home. Those radical were not authorized to publically sermon an ongoing probe and spoke connected information of anonymity.
The talker had returned to Washington this week aft being overseas and had been scheduled to look with Vice President Kamala Harris astatine a fundraising lawsuit Saturday nighttime for the LGBTQ radical Human Rights Campaign. Pelosi canceled her appearance.
On Friday, Harris said, “I powerfully judge that each 1 of america has to talk retired against hate, we person to talk retired against unit obviously, and talk to our amended selves.”
An code listed for DePape successful the Bay Area assemblage municipality of Berkeley led to a station container astatine a UPS Store.
He was known locally arsenic a pro-nudity activistic who had picketed bare astatine protests against laws requiring radical to beryllium clothed successful public
Gene DePape, the suspect’s stepfather, said the fishy lived with him successful Canada until helium was 14 and was a quiescent boy.
“He was reclusive,” said Gene DePape, adding, “He was ne'er violent.”
The stepfather said helium hadn’t seen DePape since 2003 and tried to get successful interaction with him respective times implicit the years without success.
Lawmakers from some parties reacted with daze and expressed their well-wishes to the Pelosi family.
“What happened to Paul Pelosi was a dastardly act,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “I spoke with Speaker Pelosi earlier this greeting and conveyed my deepest interest and heartfelt wishes to her hubby and their family, and I privation him a speedy recovery.”
House Republican person Kevin McCarthy reached retired privately to the talker “to cheque successful connected Paul and said he’s praying for a afloat recovery,” spokesperson Mark Bednar said.
But immoderate Republicans declined to intermission from politics.
Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, astatine a run halt for a legislature candidate, said of the Pelosis, “There’s nary country for unit anywhere, but we’re going to nonstop her backmost to beryllium with him successful California.”
In 2021, Capitol Police investigated astir 9,600 threats made against members of Congress, and respective members person been physically attacked successful caller years. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was changeable successful the caput astatine an lawsuit extracurricular a Tucson market store successful 2011, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., was severely injured erstwhile a gunman opened occurrence connected a Republican legislature shot squad signifier successful 2017.
Members of Congress person received further wealth for information astatine their homes, but immoderate person pushed for yet much extortion arsenic radical person shown up astatine their residences.
Nancy Pelosi, who is 2nd successful enactment of succession to the president, has been viciously lampooned successful run ads by Republicans and extracurricular groups this predetermination cycle. Her protective information item was with her successful Washington astatine the clip of Friday’s onslaught successful California.
Often astatine her broadside during ceremonial events successful Washington, Paul Pelosi is simply a affluent capitalist who mostly remains connected the West Coast. They person been joined for 59 years and person 5 big children and galore grandchildren.
Earlier this year, helium pleaded blameworthy to misdemeanor driving nether the power charges related to a May clang successful California’s vino state and was sentenced to 5 days successful jailhouse and 3 years of probation.
The Pelosi location successful the affluent vicinity has been the country of respective protests successful the past fewer years. After Nancy Pelosi was seen connected video getting her hairsbreadth done astatine a salon portion galore were unopen down during the coronavirus pandemic, stylists protested extracurricular with curling irons. Members of the Chinese assemblage protested precocious earlier Pelosi’s travel to Taiwan.
During debates implicit the national stimulus package, protesters scrawled anarchy signs successful achromatic overgarment crossed the store door, on with “cancel rent,” and “we privation everything.” They near a pig’s caput connected the driveway.
Yet the ascendant feelings Friday were of enactment and concern.
“We person been to galore events with the Pelosis implicit the past 2 decades and we’ve had tons of occasions to speech astir some of our families and the challenges of being portion of a governmental family. Thinking astir the Pelosi household today,” tweeted Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
At the Capitol, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the Senate president pro tempore and 3rd successful the statesmanlike enactment of succession, said helium had known Paul Pelosi “forever.” He said, “It’s conscionable horrible.”
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Congressional analogous Lisa Mascaro and Associated Press writers Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo reported from Washington. AP writers Kevin Freking and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed from Washington, Juliet Williams from San Francisco, Stefanie Dazio from Los Angeles, Bernard Condon and News Researcher Jennifer Farrar from New York, and Seung Min Kim from Philadelphia. Michelle Smith and Ali Swanson besides contributed.
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