Paul Pelosi, husband of former U.S. Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, supplied chilling particulars in federal court docket on Monday of the night time he was allegedly attacked and bludgeoned with a hammer by a person now on trial for tried kidnapping and assault.
Paul Pelosi, 83, took the stand on the second day of the federal trial towards David DePape, who faces federal fees for making an attempt to kidnap the Democratic congresswoman and assaulting her husband with the intent to intrude with the lawmaker’s official duties or retaliate towards her.
DePape, 43, is accused of touring from his Richmond residence to the Pelosis’ San Francisco house the early morning of Oct. 28, 2022, seeking the lawmaker, allegedly with plans to carry her hostage and query her relating to far-right conspiracy theories involving the Democratic Celebration and a listing of politicians and public figures.
As an alternative of discovering Nancy Pelosi, who was in Washington on the time, DePape wandered by means of the quiet Pacific Heights house earlier than stumbling upon a bed room along with her husband sleeping inside.
“The door opened and a really giant man got here in, with a hammer in a single hand and a few ties within the different hand,” Paul Pelosi testified. “And he mentioned ‘The place’s Nancy?’ And I feel that’s what woke me up.”
Till then, it was a typical night.
Paul Pelosi informed jurors he’d gone to dinner that night time in San Francisco. He went to sleep as ordinary between 11:30 p.m. and midnight, bringing a cup of ice water he took to mattress every night. He didn’t set the alarm system, which the household solely used once they had been out of city, as a result of it’s delicate and can go off simply with folks within the house.
A few hours later, Paul Pelosi wakened in “super shock” after realizing that “somebody had damaged into the home.”
“And him and looking out on the hammer and the ties, I acknowledged that I used to be in critical hazard,” he mentioned. “And so I attempted to remain as calm as doable.”
Paul Pelosi mentioned he informed DePape that his spouse was in Washington.
“Nicely then we’re going to have to attend for her,” Paul Pelosi mentioned DePape responded.
DePape informed Paul Pelosi that his spouse was the “chief of the pack,” and “he needed to take her out,” he testified. As a result of she wasn’t house, Paul Pelosi mentioned DePape informed him he needed to tie him up and watch for her.
“He had these cords in his hand. I assume that’s what he was going to make use of,” he mentioned.
Paul Pelosi mentioned he first tried to maneuver towards the elevator outdoors the couple’s bed room, which had a phone inside. However DePape caught on, Paul Pelosi mentioned, so as a substitute he moved towards his toilet the place he charged his cellphone every night time.
He known as 911, however didn’t really feel like he may very well be sincere with the dispatcher in regards to the state of affairs. DePape nonetheless had the hammer, and was demanding that Paul Pelosi inform the dispatcher that he was only a pal of the household.
“And him and looking out on the hammer and the ties, I acknowledged that I used to be in critical hazard,” Paul Pelosi, proven above, informed the jury within the federal trial towards David DePape. “And so I attempted to remain as calm as doable.”
(Noah Berger / Related Press)
In response to his court docket testimony, Paul Pelosi hung up the 911 name, and tried to motive with the intruder. DePape mentioned he was drained, and wished to tie Paul Pelosi up in order that he might get some sleep. Paul Pelosi recommended the 2 males stroll downstairs, the place DePape left his two backpacks and different belongings. Paul Pelosi mentioned he knew that if the police got here, they wanted to get downstairs the place it will be simpler to arrest the suspect.
“He mentioned, ‘Oh, the police are going to be right here, it’s over for me, I’m going to should take you out,’ issues like that,” Paul Pelosi mentioned DePape informed him. “I mentioned ‘No, they’re most likely not going to come back. They’re most likely not going to come back.’
“After which the police had been on the door.”
Police physique digicam footage reveals Paul Pelosi — holding his cup of water — opening the door with DePape standing subsequent to him. The 2 had been combating for management of the hammer, which officers ordered them to drop.
DePape as a substitute grabbed it from Paul Pelosi and swung it at his head a number of occasions, fracturing his cranium and inflicting accidents to his arm and hand. Picture and video proof proven to the jury on Thursday depict Paul Pelosi mendacity in a pool of his blood, struggling to breathe as police tackled DePape.
He was hospitalized for greater than every week at Zuckerberg San Francisco Normal Hospital for a fractured talent and different accidents. He obtained a dozen stitches on the again of his proper arm, he mentioned, and his badly broken left hand was additionally handled. Paul Pelosi informed the jurors that the plastic surgeon was capable of reconstruct his hand and keep away from doing pores and skin grafts, whereas his head damage restoration included regaining his stability and “getting my strolling again.”
Paul Pelosi recounted the assault as his daughter, Christine Pelosi, sat within the far again nook of the courtroom and whereas DePape watched from beside his protection attorneys.
Regardless of the graphic testimony and proof, the trial is taken into account removed from a simple assault case. Prosecutors bear the burden of proving that the assault was as a result of Nancy Pelosi’s position as Home Speaker, and that DePape supposed to kidnap her after breaking into the lawmaker’s house.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Laura Vartain Horn informed the federal court docket jury in her opening arguments on Thursday that DePape had gone to the couple’s house that early morning with the thought to carry Nancy Pelosi “hostage,” “break her kneecaps” and “educate her a lesson.”
“When the defendant broke into the speaker’s house, he had a plan,” Horn informed the jury of 12 males and three ladies. “It was a violent plan.”
Prosecutors tried to bolster their argument on Monday when questioning FBI Particular Agent Stephanie Minor, who has dealt with the case over the past yr. Minor walked the jurors by means of a sequence of movies displaying DePape touring from the East Bay to the Pelosis’ house, and described a listing of his web searches within the days main as much as the assault.
Minor defined how DePape had extensively researched the Pelosi household, together with others on his so-called goal listing, and paid for a service that supplied their emails and residential addresses. The prosecution additionally performed a recording of a telephone name DePape made to a reporter earlier this yr, wherein he seemingly apologizes for not being profitable in his mission.
“I’ve an vital message for everybody in America. You’re welcome,” he mentioned. “I’d additionally wish to apologize…I’m so sorry I didn’t get extra of them.”
However federal public defenders Jodi Linker and Angela Chuang have disputed the argument that DePape supposed to kidnap Nancy Pelosi or assault Paul Pelosi due to his spouse’s official place in Congress.
As an alternative, they declare that the Pelosi house was the primary cease in a broader scheme to finish corruption and different offenses he believed had been being dedicated by the Democratic Celebration and public officers and celebrities.
DePape’s plan was to make use of Nancy Pelosi to place an finish to his QAnon-like principle that Democratic politicians and public officers had been abusing and trafficking kids, the jury was informed.
“This isn’t a who performed it,” Linker informed the jury in her opening argument. It was a “why performed it,” she mentioned, “and the why issues.”
The assault has impressed extra conspiracies and prompted political assaults towards the Pelosi household, together with from former President Trump.
“And [Nancy Pelosi’s] towards constructing a wall at our border, although she has a wall round her home,” Trump mentioned to cheers and hollering throughout a speech on the California Republican Celebration’s conference in September. “Which clearly didn’t do an excellent job.”
Together with the federal felony case, DePape faces separate state fees together with assault with a lethal weapon, elder abuse, housebreaking and threats to a public official and their household.
Paul Pelosi mentioned he’s largely recovered from his accidents, however that he nonetheless suffers from lightheadedness and complications.
“There are nonetheless lumps on my head. If I run my fingers, I can nonetheless really feel dents and lumps,” he mentioned. “They’re not as delicate to the contact as they had been.”
The restoration course of was “very painful,” he mentioned. He mentioned that he had not learn information associated to the incident, nor had he listened to the tapes or watched the movies.
“I’ve tried to place it out of my thoughts,” he mentioned, taking periodic pauses to keep up his composure.
“I’ve made the most effective effort I presumably can to not relive this.”