Attack on Paul Pelosi
On October 28, 2022, far-right conspiracy theorist David DePape attacked Paul Pelosi, the then-82-year-old husband of Nancy Pelosi, the 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He beat Paul Pelosi with a hammer during a home invasion of the couple's Pacific Heights, San Francisco residence, leaving him seriously injured. Pelosi required surgery for a fractured skull.
| Attack on Paul Pelosi | |
|---|---|
DePape (left) preparing to hit Pelosi | |
| Location | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Date | October 28, 2022 c. 2:31 a.m. (PDT) |
| Target | Nancy Pelosi |
Attack type | Attempted homicide by bludgeoning, home invasion, assault with a deadly weapon |
| Weapons | Hammer |
| Victim | Paul Pelosi Sr. (survived) |
| Perpetrator | David Wayne DePape |
| Motive | Desire to kidnap Nancy Pelosi |
| Verdict | Found guilty on both Federal counts |
| Convictions | Federal:
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| Charges | State:
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San Francisco police arrested DePape, age 42, at the scene. He planned to take Speaker Pelosi hostage and interrogate her. Prosecutors believe the attack to be politically motivated. DePape had a history of mental health issues and drug abuse; before the attack, he had embraced various far-right conspiracy theories, including QAnon, Pizzagate, and Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election in 2020. Online, he made conspiratorial, racist, sexist, and antisemitic posts, and pushed COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. His blog also contained delusional thoughts. At his subsequent trial, DePape testified that he was motivated by conspiracy theories and had hatched a "grand plan" to target Speaker Pelosi and others.
On October 31, DePape was charged with two federal crimes: assault of an immediate family member of a federal official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties; and attempted kidnapping of a federal official on account of the performance of official duties. He was also charged with six state felonies, including attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, and elder abuse. Within days, prominent right-wing figures, including former president Donald Trump, shared disinformation and misinformation about the attack, casting doubt on the assailant's motives and claiming that the attack was a false flag operation.
DePape was convicted of the federal charges on November 16, 2023.