Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said she blames Donald Trump for the insults in conservative circles that came after, when CNN's Jake Tapper asked if she holds the former president responsible for the 2022 attack on her husband Paul.
“How much do you hold Donald Trump responsible for what happened to Paul?” Tapper asked the California Democrat in an interview, referring to a man attacking her husband with a hammer in October 2022.
“I hold him responsible for making fun of it, for making a joke of it, or thinking he's funny; his son, Republican governor, leaders in the Republican Party making fun of what happened,” Pelosi responded. “I found that appalling and really saddening for my children and grandchildren.
“We kept Paul away from most of that so he didn't see it. Instead, we showed him the thousands and thousands of outpouring of love, prayers, and all the rest for him. But don't you think that that's stunning, that someone would be assaulted in their home and people would make fun of it?”
A judge earlier this year sentenced David DePape to 20 years in prison for attempting to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and 30 years for the assault on her husbandi. DePape, who attacked Paul Pelosi just days before the 2022 midterm elections, struck him in the skull with a hammer. DePape admitted during his trial that he broke into the Pelosis’ home with the intention to hold her hostage to get her to admit to corruption. The former Speaker was not home at the time. Trump and many conservatives made the attack into a punchline, and some pushed baseless conspiracy theories that it was a false flag attack or that Paul Pelosi and DePape were involved in a relationship.
