The man accused of attacking the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told police he was on a “suicide mission” and planned to target other politicians.
David DePape was allegedly searching for Mrs Pelosi when he attacked her husband Paul, 82, with a hammer in the early hours of last Friday.
Before he was taken from his San Francisco home by police, DePape told them: “I’m sick of the lies in Washington, D.C., according to court documents.
“I’m here to chat with his wife.
“I didn’t really want to hurt him, but you know it was a suicide mission.
“I’m not going to stand here and do nothing, even if it costs me my life.”
He also told first responders that he had other targets, including a local professor, several prominent state and federal politicians, and their families, according to court documents.
None of these targets have been named.
“Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?
DePape appeared in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday to face state charges of attempted murder, burglary and elder abuse, as well as federal charges including attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official.
His lawyers entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf before a judge ordered him not to bail until his next court appearance on Friday.
DePape bumped his shoulder against a glass window in Pelosi’s home, facing a sleeping Mr. Pelosi, court documents said.
DePape stood in front of him with a hammer and a tie and asked, “Are you Paul Pelosi? Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?”
Mr. Pelosi told DePape that his wife would be away for a few days before DePape allegedly threatened to tie him up.
Paul Pelosi calls on Capitol Police ‘because they usually protect my wife at home’
Mr. Pelosi was able to call emergency services, telling dispatchers he didn’t need police, fire or medical assistance, but asking Capitol Police “because they are usually at home protecting my wife.”
Mrs. Pelosi is entitled to security because of her role, but her husband and other family members are excluded from that protection.
The phone conversation was enough to get the dispatcher’s attention, and she sent the police to the home for a “health check.”
Police arrived just in time to see DePape hit Mr. Pelosi at least once with a hammer, hitting him in the head, court documents show.
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skull fracture surgery
Mr. Pelosi was knocked unconscious, woke up in a pool of his own blood, and was taken to hospital for surgery on a fractured skull.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins wrote in court filings that DePaup’s intentions “couldn’t have been clearer.”
“He forced his way into Pelosi’s home with the intention of bringing the third pick to the presidency of the United States and seriously hurting her.”
‘We will investigate the mental state of Mr DePape’
DePapp’s lawyer Adam Lipson said he intended to provide a “robust legal defence”, adding: “We will conduct a full investigation into what happened.
“We will investigate the mental state of Mr De Pape and I will not discuss this further until I have more information.”
The attack raised further questions about the safety of politicians amid rising extremism in the United States.