- The husband of prominent US politician Nancy Pelosi was attacked at the couple’s home in San Francisco.
- According to US media reports, it was a targeted attack on her home.
- The attacker said “Where’s Nancy?” several times on Friday night. called, wrote the “New York Times” and the “Washington Post”, citing officials.
The 82-year-old Paul Pelosi is in the hospital and is “expected to make a full recovery,” said a spokesman. The speaker of the US House of Representatives, protected by bodyguards, was out of town at the time of the attack.
The San Francisco police initially did not comment on the reports and did not allow any questions at a brief media conference.
Legend:
The attacker gained access to the couple’s home in the west coast metropolis of San Francisco.
Keystone/EPA/Arthur Dong
Officers drove to the Pelosis’ home around 2:30 a.m., Police Chief William Scott said. When they arrived, the man hit Pelosi with the hammer in front of the police officers. The attacker is in custody and the motive for the attack is being investigated.
CNN reported that Paul Pelosi dialed 911 himself on his phone. He was not able to report the attack directly, but the employee on the emergency hotline heard what was happening in the background and sent the police.
Targeted by the political right
Democrat Pelosi is a frequent target of verbal attacks from the American political right. When the US Capitol was stormed on January 6, 2021, Trump’s supporters searched for Pelosi and ransacked her office. Meanwhile, she tried to organize the protection of the building from a safe place, as recently published videos showed.
Legend:
Nancy Pelosi with her husband Paul in an archive footage.
Keystone/Kevin Wolf
In the current campaign for the congressional elections on November 8, radical Republicans are targeting their opponents for their alleged closeness to Pelosi.
Ex-President Donald Trump keeps calling her “Crazy Nancy”. As Speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi is high in the US political hierarchy.
interest in conspiracy theories
US media found online profiles of the man, according to which he was interested in conspiracy theories, misinformation about the alleged danger of corona vaccines and Donald Trump’s lies about fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
As prominent Republicans, Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the attack.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly contacted Pelosi privately. Trump posted Truth Social on his Twitter copy, but did not comment on the attack.