Husband of Nancy Pelosi, hospitalized after a hammer attack by an intruder in his home

“Where’s Nancy?” shouted the man who attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer when he broke into his home, US authorities said.

After suffering blunt force trauma to the head and body, the husband of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, was transferred to Zuckerberg General Hospital in San Francisco, where the couple’s home is located.

There, Paul Pelosi underwent successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, the House Speaker’s office said. The statement added that a full recovery is expected.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said David Depape, 42, was arrested at the scene. The man will be charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, among other charges.

The political leader, second in line to the Presidency, was in Washington at the time of the assault, Capitol Police confirmed. Pelosi canceled her attendance at the fundraiser for the LGBTQ Human Rights Campaign on Saturday night.

The lawmaker and “her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time,” her spokeswoman, Drew Hammill, said in a statement.

“The aggressor is in custody and the reason for the attack is being investigated,” confirmed the spokesman for the leader of the House of Representatives.

What is known about the attack?

San Francisco police reported that they responded to a “break and enter” at 2:28 am local time on Friday, October 28.

The way in which the alleged attacker would have entered the residence has not yet been clarified and the Capitol Police, responsible for protecting members of Congress, indicated that they are working with the FBI and the San Francisco Police to determine which was the motivation for the assault.

However, aerial photos showed broken glass at the back door of the house.

Scott said that when police entered the scene and found the two men clutching the hammer, Depape grabbed it from Pelosi and began beating him before being arrested.

Concerns about the safety of lawmakers in the US

While the circumstances of the attack are unclear, it raises questions about the safety of members of the US Legislature and their families, as threats against them are at an all-time high nearly two years after the assault on Capitol Hill by supporters of the extreme right of former President Donald Trump.

The assault on the husband of the Speaker of the House of Representatives also comes just 11 days before the midterm elections, on November 8, in which crime and public safety have emerged as the main concerns among voters. Americans.

In 2021, the Capitol Police investigated around 9,600 threats against members of Congress and several of its members have been violently attacked in recent years. Figures that are almost triple those reported in 2017.

They included former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head at an event outside a Tucson grocery store in 2011. Rep. Steve Scalise was seriously injured when a man opened fire at baseball practice in 2017.

Members of Congress have received a larger budget for the security of their homes. But for many this is not enough, they demand greater protection after receiving a greater number of threats.

Other attacks on Nancy Pelosi

It is not the first time that Pelosi has received attacks against her. In 2021 his office was ransacked during the attack on the Capitol on January 6. Some of former President Donald Trump’s supporters even sought her out during the assault.

That same year, his home made headlines when protesters sprayed graffiti on his walls reading “Cancel Rent” and “We Want Everything.” Some messages of disagreement that arrived when a federal stimulus package was being debated. In the protest they even left a pig’s head at the entrance of the compound.

Political leaders reproach the attack against Paul Pelosi

US President Joe Biden called Nancy Pelosi in the morning to express his support, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre reported.

“The president is praying for Paul Pelosi and for the entire family of President Pelosi (…) This morning he called President Pelosi to express his support after this horrible attack. He is also very pleased that a full recovery is expected. The president continues to condemn all violence and asks that the family’s desire for privacy be respected,” Jean-Pierre said.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from both parties reacted in shock to the attack and expressed their best wishes to the family.

“What happened to Paul Pelosi was a cowardly act (…) I spoke with President Pelosi this morning and conveyed my deepest concern and sincere wishes to her husband and family, and I wish her a speedy recovery,” he said. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Republican Party Senator Roy Blunt also expressed his solidarity with the couple.

“We have been to many events with the Pelosi over the last two decades and have had many occasions to talk about our families and the challenges of being part of an in-laws. Thinking of the Pelosi family today,” the legislator posted on his Twitter account.

Paul Pelosi is a millionaire investor who stays most of the time on the West Coast, where the family’s home is. However, he is also seen by his wife’s side at multiple formal events in Washington.

Earlier this year, Paul Pelosi pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol after being charged in connection with a car accident last May in California wine country. For that incident he was sentenced to five days in jail and three years probation.

With Reuters, AP and local media