During his trial for attacking the husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during an October 2022 break-in at their San Francisco home, David DePage said he intended to interrogate Speaker Pelosi about her “lying about Russia-gate” and if she lied, he “was going to break her kneecaps.”
According to the Washington Post, DePage’s defense against charges of attempting to kidnap a federal official and assault upon an immediate family member of the official relies on him not knowing or understanding that Nancy Pelosi was, in fact, an elected federal official. DePage claimed that his break-in and attempt to kidnap Paul Pelosi was not related to his wife’s job, although he admitted to targeting the house because of Nancy Pelosi’s job, calling her the “leader of the pack” of Democrats in DC.
In later testimony, DePage admitted to hitting Paul Pelosi multiple times with a hammer “with full force,” an assault which left Paul Pelosi with severe head trauma that required a lengthy hospitalization and recovery.