By Olga R. Rodriguez | Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — The man accused of attacking former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer last year told jurors at his federal trial Tuesday how he went to the Pelosis’ San Francisco home as part of a bigger plan to end corruption in the United States.
David DePape spoke for more than an hour in which he tearfully recounted about how his political leanings went from leftist to right-wing after reading a comment on a YouTube video about former President Donald Trump. He did not deny bludgeoning Paul Pelosi, saying he reacted after realizing his larger plan might be unraveling.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official with intent to retaliate against the official for performance of their duties. His attorneys argue that he was not seeking to go after Nancy Pelosi because of her official duties as a member of Congress and so the charges do not fit.
The attack happened in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022, just days before the midterm elections.
DePape said he went to the Pelosis’ home to talk to Nancy Pelosi about Russian involvement in the 2016 election, and that he planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and upload his interrogation of her online. Prosecutors say he had rope and zip ties with him.
DePape testified that his plan was to get Nancy Pelosi and other targets to admit to their corruption and eventually get President Joe Biden to pardon them all.
“It’s just easier giving them a pardon so we can move forward as a country,” he said, crying.
In testimony Monday, Paul Pelosi recounted the attack publicly for the first time. He recalled being awakened by a man bursting into the bedroom door asking, “Where’s Nancy?” He said that when he responded that his wife was in Washington, DePape said he would tie him up while they waited for her.
He testified that he was eventually able to call police from his cellphone. When officers arrived, DePape hit him with a hammer, Pelosi said, adding that DePape told him he was going to have “to take you out.”
DePape testified that he felt really bad for Pelosi after hearing testimony from a neurosurgeon who operated on him after the attack. Pelosi underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and injuries to his right arm and hands.
“He was never my target and I’m sorry that he got hurt,” DePape said.
“I reacted because my plan was basically ruined,” he said when asked why he hit Pelosi.
Defense attorney Jodi Linker told jurors last week that DePape believed he was taking action to stop government corruption, the erosion of freedom in the United States, and the abuse of children by politicians and actors.
DePape testified he first was drawn to right-wing conspiracies after learning about “Gamergate,” an online harassment campaign against women in the video gaming community that took place about a decade ago. He said he often played video games for up to six hours a day while listening to political podcasts.
He heard about one of his targets, a University of Michigan professor, while listening to conservative commentator James Lindsay.
“The takeaway I got is that she wants to turn our schools into pedophile molestation factories,” he said.
The professor testified that some of her writings have been misconstrued to fit a narrative against the gay movement. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ordered her name not be put in the public record because of threats against her.
Asked by DePape’s defense attorney if she supported the abuse of children, the professor responded, “Absolutely not.”
She said that after Paul Pelosi was attacked, the FBI informed her that she was DePape’s main target. She said that she told university administrators and that they have taken measures to protect her, her students, and other staff.
Other witnesses who testified Tuesday included Daniel Bernal, Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco chief of staff, and DePape neighbor Elizabeth Yates.
After his arrest, DePape, 43, allegedly told a San Francisco detective that he wanted to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage. He said if she told him the truth, he would let her go and if she lied, he was going to “break her kneecaps” to show other members of Congress there were “consequences to actions,” according to prosecutors.
If convicted, DePape faces life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty to charges in state court of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. A state trial has not been scheduled.