A male assailant broke into the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi early Friday morning and violently attacked husband Paul Pelosi, 82, with a hammer.
Paul Pelosi was transported to a nearby hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Nancy Pelosi was not home at the time of the attack.
The suspect, who was not yet been identified, was then taken into custody by police. The motive for the attack is still being investigated.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi, released a statement with limited details:
“Early this morning, an assailant broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi. The assailant is in custody, and the motivation for the attack is under investigation. Mr. Pelosi was taken to the hospital, where he is receiving excellent medical care and is expected to make a full recovery.
The Speaker was not in San Francisco at the time. The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved and request privacy at this time.”
Although motive has not yet been determined, the attack comes at a time of political tension ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., was interviewed when the news broke live on CNN. She called the attack a “threat to our very democracy.”
Fred Guttenberg, a gun safety advocate and author, said on Twitter: “I will await more news on this violent attack, however, the violence that is unleashed by those trying to break our Democracy is something that we cannot ignore.”
Wishing @SpeakerPelosi husband a quick recovery. I will await more news on this violent attack, however, the violence that is unleashed by those trying to break our Democracy is something that we cannot ignore.
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) October 28, 2022
The Pelosis have been married since 1963 and have five children.
Editor’s Note: This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.
