US intel warns of midterms violence amid Paul Pelosi hammer attack

Jump to contentSign up to our newslettersSubscribeNewsSportsVoicesCultureLifestyleTravelPremiumCloseAssailant breaks into Nancy Pelosi’s home, attacks husband Paul Pelosi US intelligence agencies issued a grave warning about a rise in domestic violence extremism (DVE) around the November midterms, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband continues to recover from a terrifying hammer attack.A joint intelligence bulletin was sent to US law enforcement partners on Friday warning that DVE and ‘perceptions’ of election fraud could lead to spike in violence – particularly from ‘lone offenders’.Lawmakers, political candidates and election workers will be the most ‘attractive targets’ to extremists, it warned.The bulletin came hours after 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker Pelosi, was assaulted inside the couple’s San Francisco home. Police said that David DePape, 42, broke into the home at around 2am local time on Friday searching for the Democrat, who wasn’t home at the time.Mr Pelosi managed to secretly call 911 and, when officers arrived on the scene, they witnessed Mr DePape allegedly striking him with a hammer.Mr DePape faces charges including attempted homicide. Mr Pelosi underwent surgery for a fractured skull and is expected to make a full recovery.Paul Pelosi was assaulted by a man armed with a hammer in targeted attack at homeDavid DePape, 42, now in custody, entered the home shouting ‘where is Nancy’Paul Pelosi underwent successful surgery for a skull fractureSuspect posted about QAnon and Covid conspiracy theories onlinePaul Pelosi made secret 911 and spoke in code to dispatcher to alert authoritiesAttack comes amid a rise in violence and threats against lawmakers 1667062840Social media users are questioning The New York Times’s coverage of the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi as the violent story was relegated to a small spot on the front cover of Saturday’s edition.Taking the coveted top spots were: Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, an escalation in prices and wages, the Ukraine war and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s business ties. The attack on Mr Pelosi was given a small spot near the bottom right of the front page.’Are you kidding me? You honestly believe this is the treatment this story deserves?’ one person asked.’someone tried to assassinate the Speaker of the House and put her husband in the hospital in the process and it doesn’t make it above the fold?’ questioned another.Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 18:001667061040The US government has issued a grave warning of a ‘heightened threat’ to lawmakers during the November midterms – on the very same day that Nancy Pelosi’s husband was the victim of a violent hammer attack by a man said to be on the hunt for the House Speaker.The Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center and the US Capitol Police sent a joint intelligence bulletin to law enforcement partners across the country on Friday warning that a rise in domestic violent extremism (DVE) and ‘perceptions’ of election fraud could lead to spike in violence.The ‘most plausible’ threat will likely come from so-called ‘lone offenders’ who may use election-related issues to justify violent ends, the agencies warned.’Violence will largely be dependent on drivers such as personalized ideological grievances and the accessibility of potential targets throughout the election cycle,’ the bulletin said.Among the most ‘attractive targets’ to extremists are lawmakers, government officials and personnel involved in elections including both political candidates and election workers, it warned.The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:’Most plausible’ threat will likely come from ‘lone offenders’ who may use election-related issues to justify violent ends, agencies warn Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 17:301667059240A Newsmax host has come under fire for suggesting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ‘staged’ the attack that left her husband in need of surgery for a fracture to his skull.Greg Kelly, who has his own show on the right-wing news outlet, began pushing conspiracies about the violent assault to his social media followers almost as soon as news broke of the attack.’Just ‘wondering’ if Nancy Pelosi tried to STAGE her own mini January 6th. Complete with leaving the doors and windows OPEN for ‘insurrectionists’ and this Depepe fellow,’ he tweeted. ‘THAT or she can’t secure her home or office!’ Mr Kelly seemed to have second thoughts about his comments, later deleting the post.The tweet was already screengrabbed by several social media users who condemned his comments. Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 17:001667057440AOC has blamed Fox News for generating a ‘high volume of death threats’ against elected officials in the wake of the violent hammer attack that left Nancy Pelosi’s husband hospitalised with a skull fracture.The New York congresswoman pointed the finger at the right-wing network following a segment on one of its shows on Friday.Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul appeared on the network claiming that releasing ‘dangerous criminals out on the streets with bail and not putting them in prison, you’re asking for this incident to happen’. ‘I think it created the environment where it happened,’ he said.AOC responded to a clip of the interview in a Twitter post, writing: ‘Or maybe a billionaire-fueled propaganda channel that regularly generates high volumes of death threats to elected officials while pumping propaganda for an extreme right-wing that openly embraces fascism is what’s creating ‘the environment where it happened.’Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 16:301667055881Below are some of the threats or acts of violence involving members of Congress since 2000:Oct. 28, 2022 – Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was hospitalized after authorities say a hammer-wielding man assaulted him during a break-in early in the morning. Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and severe injuries to his right arm and hands, a spokesperson for the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives said in a statement, adding that a full recovery was expected. The statement said Paul Pelosi had been attacked ‘by an assailant who acted with force, and threatened his life while demanding to see the Speaker.’ She was in Washington, D.C. during the attack.Aug. 29, 2022 – A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to threatening to shoot and kill an unnamed member of Congress, federal prosecutors said. Joshua Hall, 22, of Mechanicsburg, made the threats in August while on pretrial release pending sentencing for impersonating members of then-President Donald Trump’s family to raise funds for a fictitious political organization.July 22, 2022 – Republican U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin, who is a New York gubernatorial candidate, was giving a campaign speech near Rochester, New York, when a man climbed on stage and tried to stab him. Zeldin was not harmed and the attacker was arrested.Jan. 6, 2021 – Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and violence followed as they occupied the building, forcing lawmakers to evacuate and delay the certification of now-Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory in the November presidential election. No elected officials were hurt in rioting that continues to be the subject of investigations.More than 100 police officers were injured in the attack, one died a day after and four others later died by suicide. Four of the people who stormed the Capitol died on the day of the attack.Jan. 2, 2021 – U.S. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell’s home in Kentucky was vandalized and spray painted with messages, including ‘where’s my money,’ the Louisville Courier Journal reported. The incident followed tense negotiations over the second major pandemic stimulus package, in which McConnell opposed raising direct checks for individuals to $2,000 from $600.Jan. 1, 2021 – The messages ‘Cancel rent’ and ‘We want everything’ are spray-painted on the Pelosis’ home in San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In addition to the graffiti, a pig’s head was left in front of the garage, according to the newspaper.The incident occurred after then-President Trump signed a contentious $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package.June 14, 2017 – U.S. Republican Representative Steve Scalise, then-Majority Whip, was shot in the hip and taken to the hospital after a gunman opened fire on Republican members of Congress at a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, for their annual congressional charity game with Democratic members. A congressional staffer and a lobbyist were also shot, while two Capitol Hill police officers were wounded in the attack. The gunman died in a shootout with police at the field.Jan. 8, 2011 – U.S. Democratic Representative Gabby Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman who opened fire on a crowd that gathered to meet her outside a grocery store in Tuscon, Arizona. Six people, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl, were killed in the attack, while 13 others were wounded, Giffords and congressional staffers among them. A three-term Arizona Democrat, she resigned from Congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery.Oct. 2001 – Anthrax-laced letters are mailed to the Washington, D.C., offices of Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Tom Daschle of South Dakota. A letter sent to Leahy was dated Oct. 9, 2001, while another addressed to Daschle was discovered on Oct. 15, 2001, according to the FBI, which said in a statement that the two mailers appeared to be linked.Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 16:041667053540Dispatch audio has revealed how Nancy Pelosi’s husband managed to alert authorities that he was under attack from a hammer-wielding assailant by speaking in code in a secret 911 call.Paul Pelosi relayed to law enforcement that a man called ‘David’ had broken into his San Francisco home and planned to lie in ‘wait’ for his House Speaker wife, according to a dispatcher.Mr Pelosi, 82, described the man as ‘a friend’ – in an apparent attempt to keep the 911 call under wraps from the alleged attacker David DePape.In a police audio clip, from 2.28am local time, the dispatcher is heard telling another operator that the caller ‘stated that there is a male in his home and he is going to wait for his wife’.The caller, later identified as Mr Pelosi, ‘stated that he does not know who the man is but said that his name is David and that he is a friend’, the operator said.The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:Dispatcher says that the caller ‘stated that there is a male in his home and he is going to wait for his wife’ Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 15:251667051740David DePape, the man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s house and violently attacking her husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer, had a hit list of other lawmakers he planned to target, according to sources.People with knowledge of the matter told KTVU that police had found a manifesto which detailed conspiracy theories and anti-government Covid-19 beliefs.The manifesto also included the list of names of other politicians.It is not clear whose names are on that list.However, Mr DePape’s online history has revealed a deep-rooted obsession with extreme right-wing conspiracy theories.In blog posts and social media pages, the 42-year-old spewed transphobic, antiSemitic and racist views, and pushed conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 vaccine, the Holocaust and QAnon.He also revealed his support for Donald Trump to run in 2024 with Tulsi Gabbard as his running mate.Rachel Sharp29 October 2022 14:551667050200Threats of violence towards political figures, fueled by toxic hate speech, are on the rise. Bevan Hurley recounts what we know so far about the attack on Paul Pelosi.Threats of violence towards political figures, fueled by toxic hate speech, are on the rise Oliver O’Connell29 October 2022 14:301667047500Rep Adam Kinzinger, a member of the January 6 committee, tweets:’This morning’s terrifying attack on Paul Pelosi by a man obsessed with election conspiracies is a dangerous reality encouraged by some members of my own party. I’m thankful he will be okay. This must be condemned by every Member of Congress & candidate. Now.’Oliver O’Connell29 October 2022 13:451667044800Oliver O’Connell29 October 2022 13:00Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inRegistration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inNancy PelosiSan FranciscoCaliforniaUS Capitol PoliceFBINancy and Paul Pelosi and a police car blocking the street below their home after he was attackedGetty/APPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in