Paul Pelosi Attacker Found Guilty of Assault, Attempted Kidnapping

On Thursday, a jury found Paul Pelosi attacker David DePape guilty of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official.

For Context: Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, suffered a fractured skull after DePape attacked him with a hammer in his home in the early morning of October 28, 2022. The attack prompted several conspiracy theories, including that DePape was a male prostitute.

The Details: DePape, 43, could face up to 50 total years in prison over the two charges; his sentencing is scheduled for December 13. DePape testified that the congresswoman’s husband was “never” his target, saying he broke into the Pelosi residence to interrogate Nancy Pelosi over what he believed to be a Democratic conspiracy against former President Donald Trump. The Pelosi attacker also faces separate state charges for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary, and other felonies.

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common across the news media, with some outlets describing the attack sensationally; CNN (Lean Left bias) called it “harrowing,” and The New York Times (Lean Left bias) said DePape was “obsessed with online conspiracy theories.” Meanwhile, coverage from the right appeared somewhat less likely to use the word “conspiracy” to describe the beliefs that motivated DePape.