Paul Pelosi has been released from the hospital six days after an assault that left him with a fractured skull and injuries to his head and arm, CNN reported on Thursday.
The attack on Mr Pelosi, who is married to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, occurred in early hours of Friday morning. The alleged assailant, 42-year-old David DePape, was reportedly looking for Ms Pelosi, who was not in San Francisco at the time of the assault.
Mr Pelosi reportedly called the police from the bathroom of the home before allegedly being assaulted with a hammer and was transported to an area hospital where he underwent surgery to treat a skull fracture and other injuries.
“Since the horrific attack on Paul early Friday, we have been deluged with thousands of messages conveying concern, prayers and warm wishes,” Ms Pelosi said in a statement released on Monday. “We are most grateful. Thanks to the excellent team at @ZSFGCare, Paul is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process.”
The attack on Mr Pelosi underscored the threat of physical violence that high-profile elected officials are currently facing in the US. While a majority of elected leaders and candidates condemned the assault, some Republicans like Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and Virginia Gov Glenn Youngkin mocked the Pelosis or made light of the incident.
Others spread baseless conspiracy theories about Mr Pelosi’s relationship with the alleged assailant, even though San Francisco police confirmed that they had never interacted prior to the assault.
Mr DePape himself reportedly became an adherent of various far right conspiracy theories in recent years, and told investigators that his planned attack on Ms Pelosi was politically-motivated. Authorities say that Mr DePape had other political targets as well, though police said that he told them that he was on a suicide mission at the Pelosi residence.
He had vowed to wait for Ms Pelosi to return to the house, even though her husband had informed him that she wasn’t due back in San Francisco for days.
The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday night that Mr DePape was in the United States illegally and may be facing deportation from the country after the conclusion of his criminal cases. He has been charged with a number of crimes, ranging from attempted murder to assault of the relative of a federal official, and has plead not guilty to all of them.
