A grand jury indicted suspect David DePape Wednesday in connection with the Oct. 28 attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, at their home in San Francisco. The 42-year-old was charged with one count of assault upon an immediate family member of a U.S. official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties — and one count of attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official on account of the performance of official duties.
They carry a total of 50 years if DePape is convicted. Court documents also debunked at least one conspiracy theory spread by conservatives about the hammer attack — and disproved several people who latched onto false reports that Pelosi referred to DePape as a “friend” during his call to 911. Many, including right-wing filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, used a dispatcher’s recording saying that Pelosi referred to DePape as “a friend” to back allegations that the pair were, in fact, gay lovers.
Authorities and officials also debunked this claim. However, in the latest batch of court documents, the Justice Department wrote: “Mr. Pelosi made clear in the 9-1-1 call that he did not know who the man was. On the call and from the background, DEPAPE can be heard giving his name as ‘David’ and declaring himself a ‘friend.’ Mr. Pelosi confirmed to the dispatcher that he did not know the man.” The latest development was initially reported by Politico’s senior legal affairs reporter, Kyle Cheney.
