Whoa. This act of negligence could have cost Paul Pelosi his life.
We’ve all heard the harrowing story by now. Early Friday morning, a right-wing conspiracy theorist named David DePape broke into Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi‘s San Francisco home. As he later told cops, he was there to maim the 82-year-old Congresswoman if she didn’t answer his questions truthfully, but the politician was in Washington, D.C. at the time!
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Instead, he found her husband, Paul, who was in bed. The only saving grace of this story is that Paul managed to secretly call 911 and speak in code. Officers rushed to the home and stopped the attack before it turned deadly — though not before he was violently beaten in the head with a hammer. We shudder to think what would have happened had he not had the wherewithal to make the life-saving phone call. Especially after learning this latest report…
According to the Washington Post on Tuesday, the US Capitol police actually had security cameras set up outside the Pelosi family home — and they caught the moment the assailant broke in using a hammer to smash the glass of a backdoor. The only problem? Nobody was paying attention at the time!!!
The command center reportedly has 1,800 cameras watching the Capitol Complex and other areas, including the Pelosi townhouse. They were installed at the San Fran property eight years ago. Nancy also has a security detail — but they follow her, not her entire family, so most of the security guards left when she went to the capital city. Since she wasn’t home at the time of the break-in, the cameras were not being monitored full-time. Something that should probably change in light of all of this…
According to the report, it wasn’t until AFTER police had already arrived at the property that someone noticed something was up. As the outlet noted, shortly after the break-in, one of the Capitol officers noticed on the security cameras police lights outside of the Pelosi residence. The officer then went back and reviewed footage captured moments before — spotting DePape as he entered the home. Wow.
It’s good to have the video evidence regardless, but it’s shocking to think Paul could have died because the officers were metaphorically sleeping on the job. And, obviously, nearly 2,000 homes is a lot to watch over, but still. The security cameras are there for a reason! Thank goodness Paul made his phone call when he did and the dispatcher was able to pick up on his clues…
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This shocking new report comes as David was arraigned on Tuesday. He was charged with attempted murder and several other felonies, including a federal charge of attempted kidnapping of a government official. He is being held without bail.
As we reported, the attacker told FBI agents he planned to shatter Nancy’s kneecaps because he believed she was a liar. He allegedly brought zip ties, tape, and rope with him to tie her up (as he attempted to do to Paul). Paul is still in the hospital recovering from his injuries, which required brain surgery. Miraculously, he is expected to make a full recovery. The incident has rightfully left Nancy and her family “traumatized,” she revealed in an emotional statement after the fact.
We hope Nancy — and any other liberals facing threats from the right-wing conspiracy theorists — amp up their security ASAP, especially since she reportedly receives more death threats than any other member of Congress. Unfortunately, even with the 50 years of prison time David is now facing, those with similar beliefs don’t seem to be taking this violent attack very seriously, including Donald Trump Jr., former president Donald Trump‘s eldest son. It’s truly despicable. No matter your political beliefs, nobody should be wishing harm on another human being. Ever.
[Image via Architect of the Capitol/YouTube & Drew Altizer/WENN]
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