David DePape Found Guilty in Paul Pelosi Hammer Attack
The Facts
San Francisco jurors convicted 43-year-old David DePape of federal crimes for breaking into the home of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and attacking her husband, Paul, with a hammer in October 2022. Their verdict came after deliberating for roughly eight hours on Thursday.
After a week-long trial, he received a guilty verdict for the charge of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on close relatives of a federal official in retaliation for the performance of their duties. DePape offered an apology to Pelosi on Tuesday, adding that he was never his target.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
This attack was a predictable and tragic product of the dangerous rhetoric and toxic conspiracy theories spewing from the far-right. Their message of "survivalism" makes it sound as though defeating those on the other side of the political spectrum is a life-or-death matter. The right-lurching GOP must be held accountable for its extremism and the violence it inspires.
Republican narrative
It's quite amazing to watch liberal San Francisco switch to a tough-on-crime stance when one of their own gets attacked. After endless news coverage of this incident calling DePape an unhinged far-right attacker, 55% of prospective jurors surveyed ahead of the trial said they already believed he was guilty. While DePape should be held accountable for his inexcusable actions, It's no surprise he didn't receive the prosecutorial leniency so often promoted by these progressives.