Paul Pelosi conspiracy theory formally ruled out in court
The House speaker’s husband did not know his assailant, contrary to circulating misinformation
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The grand jury indictment of the man who allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has thoroughly dismantled conspiracy theories that the violent incident was a lovers quarrel between the men.
David DePape, 42, was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday in connection with his alleged attack against Mr Pelosi on 28 October. According to Politico, he was charged with a single count of assault on an immediate family member of a US official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of duties, and a single count of attempted kidnapping of a US official on account of their performance of official duties.
According to the Justice Department, the charges could land Mr DePape in jail for up to 50 years if he is convicted.
After the attack, the Oakland, California-based Fox affiliate broadcaster KTVU published a story in which a reporter claimed the attacker was arrested in his underwear. According to the DoJ, some misinformation shared shortly after the attack suggested that Mr Pelosi and Mr DePape were friends, and that the former had used that descriptor during his 911 call.
This report — which was later proven false and retracted by the reporter — kicked off mass speculation among conspiratorial right-wingers that the attack was not an example of politically motivated violence aimed at the husband of a lawmaker frequently demonised in right-wing media and by Republican politicians, but instead was actually a drunken brawl between Mr Pelosi and a male sex worker. The conspiracy theory was directly boosted by Twitter owner Elon Musk and may have been hinted at by former President Donald Trump.
Right-wing filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza was among those who ran with the false claims. His argument hinged on a 911 call Mr Pelosi made, and in which, according to Mr D’Souza, the dispatcher claims he referred to Mr DePape as his "friend."
However, the Department of Justice’s most recent release about the case set the record straight; Mr Pelosi did not know Mr DePape, and he never called the man his friend. This is the second time the conspiracy theory has been debunked; court documents from the US District Court in Northern California also show the story was debunked as early as 31 October.
According to the Department of Justice, Mr DePape is the one who can be heard on the call claiming he is a "friend" of Mr Pelosi to the dispatcher. Mr Pelosi denies knowing Mr DePape.
“Mr. Pelosi made clear in the 9-1-1 call that he did not know who the man was. On the call and from the background, DEPAPE can be heard giving his name as ‘David’ and declaring himself a ‘friend.’ Mr. Pelosi confirmed to the dispatcher that he did not know the man,” the Department of Justice said in a release.