Fact check: False claim that Paul Pelosi knew attacker in home invasion

Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Paul Pelosi 'knew his attacker'

A hammer-wielding man violently attacked Paul Pelosi in the early hours of Oct. 28 in his San Francisco home, police say. Officials have identified the suspect as 42-year-old David DePape.

But some social media users are circulating a conspiracy theory that Pelosi was familiar with DePape before the attack.

"Paul Pelosi KNEW his attacker and NAMED him in his 911 call," reads an Oct. 30 tweet from conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza. "Media accounts are suppressing this key fact. Listen to the call and you can verify it for yourself. We are not—I repeat not—getting the full story on this."

D'Souza's tweet amassed over 80,000 likes, and screenshots of it were shared widely on Instagram and Facebook.

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But the claim is baseless.

Pelosi – husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – did not know his alleged attacker, according to a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department. Paul Pelosi told San Francisco dispatchers during the 911 call that he didn't know the man in his home and that the suspect had identified himself as David, according to a federal criminal complaint and various news reports.

USA TODAY reached out to D'Souza and the social media users who shared the claim for comment.

Paul Pelosi didn't know DePape prior to attack

Paul Pelosi did not know DePape, Kathryn Winters, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, said in an email to USA TODAY.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins also said during an Oct. 31 press conference that there is "nothing to suggest that these two men knew each other prior to this incident," according to the Associated Press.

Paul Pelosi called 911 at 2:23 a.m. on Oct. 28 and told officials there was a man in his home whom he didn't know, according to a federal criminal complaint filed against DePape. He also said the suspect identified himself as David.

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An emergency dispatcher then relayed to other law enforcement officers that the caller “stated that he doesn’t know who the male is" and that DePape told Paul Pelosi his name was David and that he was a friend, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

A Justice Department press release also states that Paul Pelosi told the police a man who he had never seen before entered his bedroom while he was asleep.

DePape has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail.

PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Paul Pelosi "knew his attacker." Multiple officials have said Paul Pelosi didn't know DePape prior to the attack. Paul Pelosi told San Francisco dispatchers during the 911 call that he didn't know who the man in his bedroom was, and that the suspect identified himself as David.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim that Paul Pelosi knew his attacker