WHO SAID IT?

Paul Pelosi Attack Conspiracy Debunked in Grand Jury Indictment

Paul Pelosi never referred to his attacker as a ‘friend’, court documents revealed — though the claim spread like wildfire in right-wing circles following the attack.

A grand jury indicted suspect David DePape Wednesday in connection with the Oct. 28 attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, at their home in San Francisco. The 42-year-old was charged with one count of assault upon an immediate family member of a U.S. official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties — and one count of attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official on account of the performance of official duties. They carry a total of 50 years if DePape is convicted. Court documents also debunked at least one conspiracy theory spread by conservatives about the hammer attack — and disproving a number of people who latched onto false reports that Pelosi referred to DePape as a “friend” during his call to 911. Many, including right-wing filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, used a recording of a dispatcher saying that Pelosi referred to DePape as “a friend” to back allegations that the pair were in fact gay lovers — a claim that was also debunked by authorities and officials. However, in the latest batch of court documents, the Justice Department wrote: “Mr. Pelosi made clear in the 9-1-1 call that he did not know who the man was. On the call and from the background, DEPAPE can be heard giving his name as ‘David’ and declaring himself a ‘friend.’ Mr. Pelosi confirmed to the dispatcher that he did not know the man.” The latest development was initially reported by Politico’s senior legal affairs reporter, Kyle Cheney.