CNN
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed how she got the news that her husband, Paul, was attacked, telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper that when there was a knock on her door from Capitol Police, she was “very I was scared,” he said.
In her first sit-down interview since the attack, Pelosi said she was sleeping in Washington DC after arriving the night before from San Francisco when the doorbell rang early in the morning. [a.m. ET]they must be in the wrong apartment.
Pelosi went on to say that she heard “bang, bang, bang, bang, knock on the door” after the doorbell rang again.
“So I ran to the door. I was so scared,” Pelosi said, explaining what had happened. “You meet Capitol Police and they say, ‘I have to come talk to you.'”
Pelosi explained that her thoughts were immediately transmitted to her children and grandchildren.
“And I think about my children, my grandchildren. I had no idea it was Paul. We didn’t even know where he was at the time,” she said. Told.
The violent attack on Paul Pelosi has raised new concerns over the threat of political violence, driven by partisan animosity and increasingly hostile political rhetoric, and the potential impact of lawmakers and their families in the current political climate. exposed vulnerabilities.
During the interview, Nancy Pelosi revealed startling details about her husband’s condition after the brutal attack and spoke about the aftermath of the incident.
Pelosi also thought about the fact that she appeared to have been the intended target of the attack. is,” she said. “He wasn’t looking for Paul, he was looking for me,” Pelosi later said.
At a point during the interview, Pelosi got emotional. “This conversation brought her to tears many times,” she said.
Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer at the couple’s home in San Francisco late last month by a male assailant, officials said.
David DePape is charged with six counts related to the attack, including attempted murder, robbery, assault, wrongful imprisonment, and threatening the family of a public official. He has pleaded not guilty to all state charges.
Nancy Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hamill said after the attack, Paul Pelosi underwent surgery “to repair a fractured skull and serious injuries to his right arm and hand.”
Pelosi said her husband is “doing well” but is on a “long road” to recovery. He’s a gentleman,” she said.
The speaker said the surgery her husband underwent was “successful, but it was only a small part of his recovery from a serious head injury.”
“It takes time,” she said, looking ahead.
Explaining her husband’s head injury, Pelosi said one piece of good news came when doctors “told us his brain could be fatal, but it wasn’t stabbed.” .
Pelosi said her husband is worried about the emotional impact the attack will have on his children and grandchildren, but the family is worried about the damage he will do.
“He is very concerned about the traumatic effect on our children and grandchildren, and we are concerned about the traumatic effect on him.
Pelosi was asked if she had spoken to her husband about what was going through his mind during the attack.
When asked if she would like to hear her husband call 911, Pelosi said: I don’t know if she has to. I do not understand. It’s all about the legal side of things. But she added, “Paul saved his life with that call.”
Pelosi was critical of how some Republicans reacted to the attack. she said.
“There are parties in our democracy who are questioning the outcome of elections, fanning the flames, and mocking all the violence that happens. It must stop,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi later referred to the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. “I think we need some sort of message to Republicans to stop the disinformation,” she said. , and is undoubtedly the source of what is happening to me now.”
While there have been bipartisan condemnation of the attack, some prominent Republicans have drawn scrutiny and criticism for their responses.
Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has downplayed the violent attacks after receiving backlash for joking about them and inducing laughter from supporters at a campaign event. At the event, Lake was asked about his plans to make the school safer and said: they behave as they are. Nancy Pelosi has protection when she’s in Washington DC, but apparently she doesn’t have much protection at home. The crowd and the host burst into laughter.
Nancy Pelosi also suggested that the attack on her husband would affect her decisions about her own political future after the midterm elections.
One of the most powerful figures in Democratic politics in the nation, Pelosi has earned a reputation as a formidable leader of the House Democratic Party, wielding great influence over her caucuses. But speculation is mounting in Washington about Pelosi’s next move and whether she will retire if the Republicans regain a majority.
In an interview Monday, Cooper asked Pelosi if he was sure he had somehow made a decision about what he would do, saying, “There’s been a lot of debate about whether Democrats will retire if they lose the House. There was,” he said.
“Decisions are influenced by what happened in the last week or two,” the speaker said, asking Cooper, “Will your decisions be influenced in any way by the attack?”
“Yes,” said Pelosi.
“Will it happen?” Cooper asked.
“Yes,” Pelosi said again.
Pelosi said she was “optimistic” ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, which puts control of Congress at stake, even though many in Washington predict that Republicans will regain control of the House. rice field.
“I always try to defend my position and get votes and I am confident that we are in that position. “We can move on,” she said.
But Pelosi warned that she feared democracy was in a precarious position, saying in the election that “our democracy depends on the vote.”
“Even as we move forward, I believe our democracy is in jeopardy because others say it undermines our election,” Pelosi said. warned.
This story was updated with additional developments on Monday.
