Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was reportedly severely injured after being beaten with a hammer by an intruder in the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday morning.
According to CBS News, the suspected attacker was looking for the House Speaker herself and reportedly shouted “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?” repeatedly before launching his assault on the elderly man.
Speaker Pelosi was not at the home at the time of the early morning incident but rather was on the opposite side of the country in Washington D.C.
Pelosi in D.C. at the time of the attack
“Early this morning, an assailant broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi,” Speaker Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement Friday. “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,” he added.
Later, in a separate release, Hammill reiterated that “Paul Pelosi was attacked at home by an assailant who acted with force, and threatened his life while demanding to see the Speaker.”
“Mr. Pelosi was admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he underwent successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. His doctors expect a full recovery,” he continued.
Hammill added that the Pelosis were “thankful” for the support they had received from others and “grateful” for the response of law enforcement and medical workers, and that the “family appreciates respect for their privacy during this time.”
Pelosi canceled scheduled appearance for Saturday, rushed home to San Francisco
As was alluded to by Pelosi spokesman Hammill, the Associated Press reported that the House Speaker was in D.C. at the time of the attack on her husband by flew home to San Francisco by Friday evening, and her motorcade was spotted arriving outside the hospital where her husband had been admitted.
The Speaker had only just returned to D.C. earlier this week following an overseas trip and had been scheduled to speak at a fundraising event alongside Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday night, but that appearance was canceled.
CBS News noted that while Speaker Pelosi and other congressional leaders enjoy the constant protection of a U.S. Capitol Police security detail, that protection is not extended to spouses and families, and therefore was not present at the Pelosi home Friday morning while the Speaker was in D.C. — though there is now talk of legislation to extend that protection in light of this incident.
That said, the AP also noted that all members of Congress are provided with funds for security purposes, and it is safe to say that some Americans are a bit skeptical that there seemingly was not any sort of additional security measures in place for the home of the politician who is second in line to the presidency.