In case it needs to be said (and maybe it does), hitting an old man in the head with a hammer after breaking into his home in the middle of the night is a serious, potentially lethal crime that poses an obvious threat to public safety. If that had happened to your father, your grandfather, or your husband, you would expect the assailant to receive a substantial sentence commensurate with his conduct. But if that had happened to your father, your grandfather, or your husband, the assailant would not be facing eight felony charges, including two federal counts, each of them punishable by decades in prison.
David DePape, the 42-year-old man accused of attacking 82-year-old Paul Pelosi at his San Francisco home last week, faces extraordinary charges because his victim is married to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D–Calif.), whom DePape allegedly planned to kidnap in retaliation for her purported crimes against the American people. Pelosi's status explains why DePape is being treated differently from defendants accused of similar conduct.
