Man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband sentenced to 30 years in prison
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Paul Pelosi, husband of former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), at the White House in May 2024. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
A federal judge sentenced the man convicted of assaulting and attempting to kidnap Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), to 30 years in prison on Friday, AP reports.
Why it matters: David DePape's brutal attack on Paul Pelosi just before the 2022 midterm elections shook lawmakers from both parties and underscored the surging threats of violence they and other public officials face.
- Paul Pelosi underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands after the attack.
- DePape received the maximum sentence for each count, 20 years for one and 30 for the other, but both will be served concurrently and he will get credit for the 18 months he's already served.
What they're saying: "The Pelosi family couldn't be prouder of their Pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case," Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement after sentencing.
- "Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all who have sent love and prayers over the last eighteen months, as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery."
Context: Federal prosecutors sought a 40-year sentence for DePape — who assaulted Paul Pelosi with a hammer at the Pelosi residence in San Francisco — to discourage others from carrying out similar acts.
- Nancy Pelosi in a letter to the judge before sentencing asked the court to give DePape a "very long" sentence.
- Paul Pelosi revealed he has ongoing health problems stemming from the attack, CBS News reports.
Zoom in: After being arrested, DePape told police he intended to assault Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was not home at the time of the attack, to "show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions."
- DePape had a history of making racist remarks and promoting baseless conspiracy theories online. He's a Canadian citizen who was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the attack.
- Just weeks before the attack, the FBI warned of a rise in politically driven violence in the country.
Zoom out: Threats against lawmakers and other officials have only increased after the attack on Paul Pelosi.
- The Department of Justice warned earlier this week that threats against election workers are currently being "supercharged" by new technologies, including artificial intelligence.
The big picture: Surveys conducted in 2023 and earlier this year have shown that support for and the expectation of political violence has increased in the U.S.
Updated with statement from the Pelosi family.
Go deeper: The split reality of election threats on Capitol Hill
