Paul Pelosi Faces ‘Long Recovery’ After Attack, Nancy Pelosi Says

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Paul Pelosi (L) arrive for the Recording Academy and Clive Davis pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 25, 2020. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images

Paul Pelosi faces a long road to recovery, his wife said on Oct. 31.

“Thanks to the excellent trauma care medical team at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Paul is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process,” U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), 82, said of her husband Paul, also 82.

Paul Pelosi was attacked by a man inside the Pelosi home in San Francisco, California on Oct. 28, according to police and prosecutors.

Authorities have identified the suspect as 42-year-old David DePape.

He was scheduled to be arraigned on charges including attempted murder on Nov. 1.

DePape entered the home through a back door and woke up Paul Pelosi, saying he was looking for Nancy Pelosi, according to charging documents.

Paul Pelosi was able to call 911. Officers arrived within minutes. After the door was opened, officers witnessed DePape striking Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer, according to authorities.

DePape and Paul Pelosi were both taken to San Francisco General Hospital.

Paul Pelosi spoke to a police officer while being transported to the facility in an ambulance, according to an FBI affidavit supporting federal charges against DePape.

Paul Pelosi underwent surgery for a skull fracture and injuries to his hands and right arm, Nancy Pelosi’s office has said.

Paul Pelosi spoke to law enforcement officers again on Oct. 30, according to the affidavit. Paul Pelosi said during the interviews that he had never seen DePape before, that he called 911 from a bathroom, and that DePape struck him with a hammer that did not belong to the Pelosi family.

Authorities said they found a second hammer in a backpack belonging to DePape as well as zip ties, rope, gloves, and a journal. They have declined so far to share what was in the journal or the identity of a person they said DePape wanted to “lure” by kidnapping Nancy Pelosi.

The speaker was in Washington at the time of the attack with her protective detail, the U.S. Capitol Police said.

There was no security present at the Pelosi home when DePape broke in, San Francisco’s district attorney said Monday.

Nancy Pelosi told colleagues over the weekend that Paul Pelosi was “mak[ing] progress with his recovery” and that his condition “continues to improve.”

“Since the horrific attack on Paul early Friday, we have been deluged with thousands of messages conveying concern, prayers and warm wishes. We are most grateful,“ Nancy Pelosi added on Monday. ”Our family thanks everyone for their kindness.”