Paul Pelosi, husband of the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives, has been released from the hospital after being the target of a violent attack at his home last week, Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday.
“She remains under medical care as she continues a long process of recovery and convalescence. She is now in her house, ”said the leader of the lower house of the US Congress.
Two police officers who responded to the emergency call in the Oct. 28 incident witnessed Paul Pelosi being hit in the head with a hammer at least once, according to court documents.
Authorities said the attack was captured on officers’ body cameras.
A federal official revealed Thursday that the Canadian suspected of the attack should have been singled out by immigration authorities and prevented from returning to the US after having exceeded his entry permit.
David DePape, 42, entered the United States legally in 2000 and then left the country and returned several times, including in March 2008 at the San Ysidro border in San Diego, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Most Canadians do not need a visa to enter the US as tourists and can stay for up to six months.
The same source said it is unclear why US officials admitted DePape after he passed his entry in 2000.
The man suspected of assaulting Paul Pelosi has pleaded not guilty, but a San Francisco court placed him in pretrial detention without bail on Monday.
Adam Lipson, a public defender appointed to represent David DePape, entered a not guilty plea on behalf of the suspect, who appeared briefly in court in his first public appearance since the attack.
At the time of the attack, the suspect said he would “break the congresswoman’s kneecaps” if she didn’t confess to “lies” on the Democratic side, according to a federal court document.
The suspect allegedly broke into the couple’s home in San Francisco on Friday morning with a rope, a pair of gloves and duct tape, according to the Justice Department.
Nancy Pelosi was in Washington that day. Before being attacked with a hammer, her husband, Paul Pelosi, 82, had time to call the 911 emergency number.
Authorities believe the suspect intended to kidnap the Democratic leader, which could land him in prison for up to 20 years.
For assaulting her husband, she can incur a prison sentence of up to 30 years.
On Monday night, the San Francisco District Attorney announced a series of new charges, including attempted murder and robbery, this time on local rather than federal charges.
According to the prosecutor, the attack was politically motivated.
Source: TSF
