A 42-year-old man attacked the husband of leading US politician Pelosi with a hammer. Now the suspect has to answer in court. It is said that he had other politicians in his sights. Besides, he didn’t expect to survive the day.
Following the attack on the husband of top US politician Nancy Pelosi, the alleged perpetrator appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday (local time). His attorney pleaded not guilty during the brief hearing in San Francisco, US media reported constantly from the courtroom. The 42-year-old man is accused, among other things, of attempted murder, burglary, harassment and deprivation of liberty of an elderly person and threatening an official. The court decided to initially hold the man without the possibility of bail.
A few days before the US general election, Paul Pelosi was attacked and seriously injured at the couple’s home in San Francisco. In the midst of the aggressive election campaign, the perpetrator stormed in Friday night, asked for Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, and viciously attacked her 82-year-old husband.
Target other politicians too
According to a court document released Monday, the man had planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and fracture her kneecaps. That’s what he told the police. He wanted to force the Democrat into a wheelchair to show other members of Congress that “his actions have consequences.”
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told CNN Tuesday night that the shooter had targeted politicians other than Nancy Pelosi. “There were other officials who were obviously targeted by him, obviously he first appeared in the Chamber of Speakers,” she said. According to her own statements, the alleged perpetrator did not expect to survive the day of the attack. He told police that he was on a “suicide mission.”
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In a separate federal proceeding, the suspect is charged with attempted kidnapping of a government official and assault on a family member of a government official. He could face decades in prison if convicted, according to the US Department of Justice.
Tat heats up US election campaign
Meanwhile, individual Republicans used the attack as mockery on the campaign trail. Republican hopeful Kari Lake, for example, spoke at an Arizona election campaign appearance on Monday (local time) about protecting schools from attackers and joked about the attack on Pelosi’s husband, Paul. Lake, who is running for governor of Arizona in the upcoming US election on November 8, argued that if politicians and lawmakers are to be protected, children should be too. “Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s protected when she’s in DC,” Lake said, adding, “Obviously her house isn’t very well protected.” The audience responded with laughter.
Earlier, Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin referred to Nancy Pelosi and her husband during a campaign appearance, saying, “There is no place for violence anywhere, but we will send her back to be with him in California”. According to recent polls, Republicans have a good chance of winning a majority in the House of Representatives. The attack raised fears of politically motivated violence in the United States. President Joe Biden drew a connection to the Republican rhetoric surrounding his predecessor, Donald Trump.