Paul Pelosi's attacker pleads not guilty to state criminal charges

The man accused of breaking into Nancy Pelosi‘s San Francisco home and beating her husband with a hammer has pleaded not guilty to state charges.

David DePape, 42, appeared in a California court on Wednesday wearing a jail-issued orange sweater, sweatpants and a black facemask as he denied the charges against him for the October 28 attack on Paul Pelosi.

He only spoke once during the hearing, Mercury News reports, to confirm that he wanted to waive his right to a trial within 60 days.

DePape now remains at a San Francisco jail on a range of state charges, including attempted murder, false imprisonment of an elder, threatening the family member of a public official, battery causing serious bodily injury and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime.

He has previously denied in federal court that he ambushed Paul Pelosi — despite body camera footage showing DePape telling cops at the scene he wanted revenge on Democrats for ‘prosecuting Trump.’

David DePape, 42, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the state charges against him

He appeared in a California court on Wednesday wearing a jail-issued orange sweater, sweatpants and a black facemask

He appeared in a California court on Wednesday wearing a jail-issued orange sweater, sweatpants and a black facemask

In a recorded interrogation released earlier this month, DePape boasted about his suicide mission to kidnap high-level politicians and celebrities as a means to uncover what he thought were lies spread by Democrats.

He confessed that he was motivated by trying to seek ‘revenge’ on Democrats, who he thought had ‘persecuted’ Trump’s campaign by ‘submitting fake evidence of spying’.

DePape also repeatedly railed about a ‘crime spree’ by former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in a rant echoing conspiracy theories, Mercury News reports, saying: ‘They go from one crime to another crime.’ 

He said he had other targets, including including Hunter Biden, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and even actor Tom Hanks.

 Everybody there (in Washington) is crazy and corrupt and we need to take them out’

‘Everybody there (in Washington) is crazy and corrupt and we need to take them out,’ DePape said in the body camera footage. 

He had with him a backpack that contained a smaller hammer, a uniform costume, a Canadian passport, vitamins, underwear, crayons, scissors, toothbrush, money, water flavor packets, body worn cameras matches, cell phone and gloves.

When Pelosi first called 911, it was because he had convinced DePape to let him go to the bathroom, where his phone was charging, the court heard. 

He told the operator there was a ‘man in the house’, after convincing DePape to let him use the bathroom. 

DePape’s motive was also laid bare. In his police interview after being arrested, he told officers he was seeking revenge against Democrats because they’d submitted ‘fake evidence’ to the Trump campaign about spying. 

DePape told officers that he had others he wanted to ‘target’, and that he wouldn’t be ‘stopped’ by Pelosi. 

There had been speculation over why NBC pulled its previous report on the incident.  

He had said in previous testimony and court records he wanted to kidnap the House Speaker, break her kneecaps and wheel her before Congress in an attempt to remind lawmakers there are ‘consequences’ for their actions. 

Court documents allege that DePape was targeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when he woke her husband up on October 28 and beat him with a hammer

Court documents allege that DePape was targeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when he woke her husband up on October 28 and beat him with a hammer 

Other targets included Hunter Biden

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was also on the list

He had also allegedly planned to target First Son Hunter Biden, left, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, in an attempt to uncover what he thought were lies spread by Democrats

Even renowned actor Tom Hanks, pictured recently in London, was among the hit list

Even renowned actor Tom Hanks, pictured recently in London, was among the hit list

Authorities say DePape broke into the Pelosi home on October 28, throwing himself through a downstairs window before waking Paul Pelosi, 82, who was sleeping in his upstairs bedroom.

San Francisco police first received the call from Paul at around 2.23am, according to a federal indictment.

He then proceeded to tell officers how a man broke into his home looking for his wife, the House Speaker, saying he would wait for her to return to the San Francisco mansion. 

During the two-minute phone call, the indictment says, Pelosi made clear he did not know the man, even as DePape could be heard in the background saying his name is ‘David’ and he is a ‘friend.’

Towards the end of the call — after a dispatcher agreed to stay on the line with Paul — he told police that the man wanted him to ‘get the hell off the phone.’

Officers responding to the scene, meanwhile, found the glass door of the Pelosi’s compound shattered, and found Paul and DePape fighting over a hammer.  

An officer ordered DePape to drop the hammer but he responded, ‘ummm nope,’ before forcefully swinging it at Paul, it says.

The sequence lasted about 15 seconds, it says, but left Pelosi and DePape lying on the floor with blood swelling around Paul Pelosi’s head. He was treated at a hospital for a fractured skull.

Following the attack, Pelosi is said to have told police officers how DePape woke him up that night demanding to know where Nancy was.

He told officers he tried to explain to his attacker that she would not be home for a few days, but he said he would ‘wait.’

DePape has been known as a fringe activist drawn to conspiracy theories

DePape has been known as a fringe activist drawn to conspiracy theories

Officers responding to the scene of the Pelosi's compound on October 28 found glass shattered

Officers responding to the scene of the Pelosi’s compound on October 28 found glass shattered

DePape, a fringe activist drawn to conspiracy theories, later allegedly admitted to breaking into the mansion with a hammer, finding Pelosi in his bed and waking him up.

He reportedly also said he had zip ties in his bag he was going to use to restrain Pelosi so he could take a nap — because he was tired from carrying his backpack of supplies into the home.

When asked about the assault, DePape also reportedly told police that Pelosi would ‘take the punishment’ if he tried to ‘stop him,’ telling the elderly man he did not ‘come here to surrender.’

He added that he did not leave even after Pelosi called 911 because, much like the American Founding Fathers, he was ‘fighting tyranny’ without the option of surrender.

In addition to the state charges, DePape now faces federal charges, including assault upon an immediate family member of a US official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

A second charge alleges DePape attempted to kidnap a U.S. official on account of the performance of official duties. That could bring a maximum 20 years in prison. 

California District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement to KRON on Wednesday: ‘Mr. DePape will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and held accountable for his heinous crimes.’ 

He is scheduled to return to state court on February 23 to set a date for a criminal trial. 

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