Nancy Pelosi Reveals How She First Learned About Attack on Husband

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) (L) and her husband Paul Pelosi, outside of 10 Downing Street in central London, on Sept. 16, 2021. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has revealed how she first heard that her husband was attacked.

Pelosi said that she was sleeping in Washington when she was woken up by U.S. Capitol Police personnel ringing her doorbell sometime around 5 a.m. eastern on Oct. 28. When no one answered the door, the police started banging.

“So I run to the door, and I’m very scared,” Pelosi told CNN. “I see the Capitol Police and they say, ‘We have to come in to talk to you.’

“And I’m thinking my children, my grandchildren. I never thought it would be Paul because I knew he wouldn’t be out and about, shall we say. And so they came in,” she added. “At that time, we didn’t even know where he was or what his condition was, we just knew that there was an assault on him in our home.”

According to court filings, Paul Pelosi was woken up in the Pelosi residence in San Francisco, California by David DePape at 5 a.m. Eastern.

Paul Pelosi called 911 at 5:23 a.m. Eastern, according to the documents. Officers arrived at the home at 5:31 a.m. Eastern.

DePape, who is in the country illegally, is accused of striking Paul Pelosi with a hammer in front of the officers after he refused to obey an order to drop the hammer, according to authorities. He has been charged with attempted murder and other charges.

Paul Pelosi underwent emergency surgery to address a skull fracture and injuries to his right arm and hands, according to Pelosi’s office. He was released from the hospital about one week after the attack.

Just Returned

Nancy Pelosi was in Washington at the time with her protective detail, according to her office and the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP). She told CNN she “had just gotten in the night before” from San Francisco.

DePape told officers that he intended to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and ask her questions, according to court filings. If she did not tell the truth, he planned to break her kneecaps.

USCP officials have since confirmed that the agency watches security camera feeds from the Pelosi residence at its Command Center in Washington but that the cameras are not “actively monitored” when the speaker is not at the home.

Personnel in the center did not notice anything amiss until they saw “the police activity on the screen and used the feeds to monitor the response and assist investigators,” USCP said in a recent statement.

USCP has launched an internal security review and said it would be consulting with congressional stakeholders.

“We have been immensely grateful for the critical support the Congress already provided to secure the U.S. Capitol Complex after January 6, 2021. The funding was vital for us to implement dozens of immediate improvements. Now we will fast-track the work we have already been doing to enhance the protection of Members outside of Washington, D.C., while also providing new protective options that will address concerns following Friday’s targeted attack,” USCP said.

CNN released a clip of the first interview Nancy Pelosi gave since the attack. The full interview was set to air later Monday.