The 42-year-old man arrested after a nighttime attack on the husband of US leader Nancy Pelosi has now been brought before a magistrate in San Francisco for the first time. According to court documents, the extremist wanted to kidnap Pelosi and break her kneecaps. Other politicians were also targeted by the 42-year-old. The suspect pleaded innocent. His client didn’t want to hurt Paul Pelosi.
As reported, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives was not at Pelosis’s San Francisco home at the time of the attack. Her husband Paul suffered a fractured skull in the attack. The 42-year-old is suspected of, among other things, attempted murder, burglary, assault and deprivation of liberty of an elderly person and threatening an official. Attorney General Brooke Jenkins told CNN on Tuesday evening that the attacker had attacked other politicians in addition to Nancy Pelosi. “There were other officials who were clearly his target. He clearly came to the House of Speakers first,” she said.
The goal was to force the Democrat into a wheelchair to show other congressmen that their “actions have consequences.” The defendant’s lawyer said he would investigate his client’s “vulnerability” to “political misinformation” and his mental health before the defense. He pointed to the thesis advocated by extremism experts that hate speech spread online and by public figures can inspire some mentally unstable individuals to engage in political violence.
Republicans mock Pelosi
Meanwhile, individual Republicans used the attack for mockery in the election campaign. For example, rising Republican Kari Lake spoke Monday during a campaign appearance in the state of Arizona about protecting schools from attackers and joked about the attack on Pelosi’s husband. Lake, who is running for governor of Arizona in the upcoming US election on Nov. 8, argued that if politicians and lawmakers should 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 laughed.
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 made a connection with the Republican rhetoric surrounding his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
