Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is in hospital after he was attacked by a hammer-wielding assailant who invaded the couple’s California home in search of the longtime Democratic legislator.
A person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to speak candidly said the assailant broke in early Friday and confronted Mr Pelosi, shouting: “Where is Nancy?”
According to Ms Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff and spokesperson, Drew Hammil, the assailant “broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted” the Speaker’s husband. Ms Pelosi was not home at the time, he said.
“Mr Pelosi was taken to the hospital, where he is receiving excellent medical care and is expected to make a full recovery,” he said. “The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time”.
Writing on Twitter, San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Adam Lobsinger said officers responded to Ms Pelosi’s home for a break-in at 2.27 am PT and arrested a suspect who allegedly attacked “an 82-year-old male”.
He added that SFPD chief William Scott will address media at police headquarters today.
In a statement, the US Capitol Police said special agents with the department’s California field office are assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation and San Francisco Police Department with a “joint investigation” into the break-in, including the alleged assailant’s motivations.
“Special Agents with the USCP’s California Field Office quickly arrived on scene, while a team of investigators from the Department’s Threat Assessment Section was simultaneously dispatched from the East Coast to assist the FBI and the San Francisco Police with a joint investigation,” a department spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson added that investigators “will provide more information when it can be released”.
Sources familiar with the matter have said the assault on Mr Pelosi was carried out by a suspect who specifically targeted the House speaker’s residence.
Mr Pelosi, an investor and financier who was born and raised in San Francisco, has been married to Ms Pelosi, a native of Baltimore, since 1963.
He became an object of fascination for conservative media outlets in May 2022 after police arrested him for driving under the influence of alcohol. He pleaded guilty to the charges in August 2022 and recieved a sentence of five days in jail, three years probation, and a $6,800 fine.
Right-wing media figures accused law enforcement in San Francisco of soft-pedaling the charges against Mr Pelosi, though no evidence exists which suggests his sentence was out of the ordinary for a first-time DUI offender.
Mr Pelosi also faced increased criticism about his trading stocks as Democratic members of Congress have proposed banning members and their spouses from trading stocks. The House failed to pass a bill banning the practice before it adjourned for the midterms at the end of last month.
The assault on Mr Pelosi comes as law enforcement officials have reported record numbers of threats against elected officials by supporters of former president Donald Trump.
Crime in San Francisco has also become a focal point for local political leaders, with San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin facing a recall for his criminal justice policies. Republicans have also attacked Democrats throughout the campaign – particularly in states like California, New York and Pennsylvania – for being soft on crime.
Numerous high-profile Democrats and some anti-Trump Republicans have had to spend campaign and official funds to pay for extra security, and the US Capitol Police has had to provide some members with their own security details. Similarly, Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s Democratic Secretary of State who is running for governor, had her headquarters broken into earlier this week.
Ms Pelosi, who has long had a Capitol Police security detail during her time as Speaker and as the leader of House Democrats, was also the target of violent pro-Trump rioters during the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting massacre, offered well wishes on Friday.
“I will await more news on this violent attack, however, the violence that is unleashed by those trying to break our Democracy is something that we cannot ignore,” he tweeted.
With additional reporting by agencies
