Attack on Paul Pelosi condemned by state, US leaders
The “heinous assault” on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, by a hammer-wielding assailant exposed the “dangerous consequences of the divisive and hateful rhetoric” in American politics, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday.
Newsom and other Democratic leaders expressed horror at the attack at Pelosi’s San Francisco home less than two weeks before midterm elections that have been characterized by threats to candidates, challengers and incumbents on both sides of the political aisle.
Leaders should “never fear for their safety and the safety of their families in serving the people they were elected to represent — not in their homes not at the U.S. Capitol, not anywhere,” Newsom said.
“This heinous assault is yet another example of the dangerous consequences of the divisive and hateful rhetoric that is putting lives at risk and undermining our very democracy and Democratic institutions,” Newsom said. “Those who are using their platforms to incite violence must be held to account.”
Pelosi, a Bay Area businessman, was expected to make a full recovery, according to the the speaker’s office. The suspect, David Depape, 42, also was hospitalized after Pelosi fought back, police said.
President Joe Biden was among those sending well wishes to the Pelosi family. In a statement on the attack, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president was “praying for Paul Pelosi and for Speaker Pelosi’s whole family.”
“This morning he called Speaker Pelosi to express his support after this horrible attack,” Jean-Pierre said. “He is also very glad that a full recovery is expected. The President continues to condemn all violence and asks that the family’s desires for privacy be respected.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said she was “appalled” by the attack and Transportation Secretary and former Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said “public figures should always be free from violence, harassment and intimidation.”
“That’s even more importantly true for their family,” Buttigieg added. “Wishing Speaker Pelosi and the entire family well, and a speedy recovery to Paul Pelosi.”
On Twitter and social media, the attack on the speaker’s husband trended Friday as leaders condemned the attack and others attempted to place blame. Depape, who was accused of attacking Pelosi, had a history of inflammatory social media posts tying conspiracy theories to the COVID pandemic and 2020 presidential election.
A blog, which lists Depape as the author, includes a flurry of posts slamming “woke racists,” proclaiming that Hitler “did nothing wrong,” and lauding podcaster Joe Rogan.
Fox News had not as of Friday afternoon mentioned the right-wing conspiracies of the alleged attacker in their news coverage, leading to many on social media saying they were not thoroughly reporting the incident. On Friday during a Fox News interview, Caitlyn Jenner, a former Republican candidate for California governor, blamed Pelosi for not having enough security.
“I’ve spent a lot of time up in San Francisco and it is violent,” Jenner said. “And it’s also important that we don’t make this a partisan issue. This happens to members of congress of all parties, supreme court justices and people in my family living in the celebrity world. I’ve received hundreds of deaths threats, publicly, privately, every day, all the time.”
Jenner also said “soft-on-crime Liberals running to defund the police” were making law enforcement the enemy of the people and needed to stop. She said Pelosi and other establishment politicians should be voted out of office.