The Department of Justice (DOJ) released an affidavit on Monday unveiling assault and attempted kidnapping charges against the man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), at the couple’s San Francisco home on Friday.
David DePape, 42, of California was charged with assault of an immediate family member of a U.S. official with intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties and attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official on account of the performance of official duties. The two counts carry a combined maximum of 50 years in prison.
Meanwhile, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins also announced six charges against DePape on Monday, including attempted murder.
He is facing between 13 years and life in prison for those counts.
Federal prosecutors say DePape broke into the Pelosi residence in the middle of the night, threatened to hold the couple hostage and hit Paul Pelosi with a hammer, causing serious injuries. The affidavit released on Monday unveiled new details on what transpired during the early-morning attack, and it highlighted the threat the Speaker faced from DePape.
Here are six new details from the charging document.
Suspect threatened to break Speaker’s kneecaps
During an interview following the attack on Paul Pelosi, DePape told officers with the San Francisco Police Department that he wanted to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and talk to her, according to the affidavit. He described the Speaker as the “leader of the pack” of lies spread by Democrats.
If the Speaker told the “truth,” DePape said he would let her go, but if she “lied,” he vowed to break “her kneecaps,” according to the affidavit. He said he was sure that Nancy Pelosi would not have disclosed the “truth.”
The suspect also described what would happen if he went ahead with his violent plan.
“DEPAPE also later explained that by breaking Nancy’s kneecaps, she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions,” the affidavit reads.
Suspect wanted to wait for Speaker to come home
On his way to the hospital following the attack, Paul Pelosi told a San Francisco police officer that DePape wanted to talk with “Nancy,” referring to the Speaker. A source briefed on the investigation told The Hill last week that the alleged attacker confronted Paul Pelosi prior to the attack and shouted, “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?”
When Paul Pelosi informed DePape that the Speaker was not home, DePape said he would sit and wait for her to return, according to Paul Pelosi’s account
“[Paul] Pelosi stated that his wife would not be home for several days and then DEPAPE reiterated that he would wait,” the affidavit reads.
Nancy Pelosi was in Washington at the time but has since returned to be with her injured husband.
DePape gave the San Francisco police officers a similar account, adding that he wanted to tie up Paul Pelosi so he could take a nap while the two waited for the Speaker to return home.
“DEPAPE told Pelosi that he was looking for Nancy. Pelosi responded that she was not present. Pelosi asked how they could resolve the situation, and what DEPAPE wanted to do. DEPAPE stated that he wanted to tie Pelosi up so that DEPAPE could go to sleep as he was tired from having had to carry a backpack to the Pelosi residence. Around this time, according to DEPAPE, DEPAPE started taking out twist ties from his pocket so that he could restrain Pelosi,” the affidavit reads.
Paul Pelosi called 911 from the bathroom, greeted police
Paul Pelosi called 911 from the bathroom, according to the affidavit, where he was connected to a dispatcher. Minutes after the call, authorities arrived on the scene.
During a press conference Friday evening, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott commended the dispatcher for “her intuition” and “quick thinking.”
“She had to interpret what she was being told. And based on her experience and her intuition, she basically figured out that there was something more to this incident than what she was being told,” he said. “Her actions, in my opinion, resulted in both a higher-priority dispatch and a faster police response. I think this was life-saving.”
Jenkins told reporters on Monday that Paul Pelosi’s cellphone was located in the bathroom.
DePape told officers that Paul Pelosi opened the door when authorities knocked, according to the affidavit. The officers saw the two men clasping a hammer.
“[Paul] Pelosi greeted the officers,” the document adds in a different section.
Suspect broke through glass door
Monday’s affidavit revealed that DePape broke through a glass door to enter the Pelosis’ house. The suspect told officers that he “broke into the house through a glass door, which was a difficult task that required the use of a hammer.”
The detail was also discovered on body camera footage.
“When officers removed DEPAPE from Pelosi’s residence, police body worn camera footage showed a glass door that appeared to be laminated glass, broken near the door handle,” the charging document states.
Jenkins also confirmed the broken door at a press conference on Monday.
“He forced his way into the home through a rear glass door by breaking that glass,” she told reporters.
She noted that there was “no security present” at the home and that DePape “was able to break the window to a glass door to gain entry into the home.”
Suspect had zip ties, tape, white rope
DePape was carrying zip ties, a roll of tape, a white rope and at least one additional hammer while in the Pelosis’ house, according to the affidavit, in addition to a pair of rubber and cloth globes and a journal. The objects were contained in a backpack he brought to the residence.
Authorities also recovered zip ties from the Pelosis’ bedroom and in the hallway near the front of the house, according to the affidavit.
Jenkins confirmed those details, telling reporters that DePape “brought to the location of the Pelosi residence a second hammer as well as zip ties, rope and a roll of tape.”
DePape had lived in a garage for two years
The affidavit disclosed that DePape lived in a garage of a residence in California. The owner of the premises confirmed to law enforcement that DePape has lived in the garage for roughly two years.
Authorities on Saturday executed a search warrant on the location, where they took possession of two hammers, a sword, and a pair of rubber and cloth gloves.
They also found DMV paperwork, IRS letters and PayPal credit cards, confirming that DePape lived on the premises, according to the charging document.