Fact check: No charging decision yet in Paul Pelosi DUI case

The claim: DUI charges against Paul Pelosi have been dropped

The May 28 arrest of Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for allegedly driving under the influence in Napa County, California, has triggered claims on social media about his case.

“All charges have reportedly been dropped against Paul Pelosi for his DUI crash,” reads a June 7 tweet shared on Instagram. “Gavin Newsom reportedly intervened at the request of Nancy Pelosi and directly ordered the California Highway Patrol to drop all charges.”

The Instagram post, which contained a screenshot of the tweet, got nearly 5,000 likes in less than a week, and other versions of the claim spread widely across social media.

A similar post was circulated by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., whose June 8 tweet about Paul Pelosi's charges was shared more than 14,000 times.

But the Napa County District Attorney's Office has not yet decided whether to charge Paul Pelosi, so there aren't currently charges that could be dropped. The case remains under review, and officials have said the public will be notified when a charging decision is made.  

Fact check: False claim linking Paul Pelosi Jr., Hunter Biden and Burisma

USA TODAY reached out to Boebert and other social media users who shared the claim for comment. None provided evidence to support the assertion that Paul Pelosi's charges have been dropped.

District attorney's office hasn't made a charging decision

In a June 9 statement, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said the office was "currently reviewing charges" after Paul Pelosi was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher.

Haley said the office was working to determine "what, if any, charges will be filed" against Pelosi. She added that this was "standard protocol" for DUI cases in the county.

Paul Pelosi is scheduled to appear in Napa County Superior Court on Aug. 3, Haley said. If criminal charges are filed, Pelosi would be arraigned at that time.

In a June 10 message to USA TODAY, Assistant District Attorney Paul Gero confirmed no charges have yet been filed.

Both Haley and Gero said the media and public would be notified when a filing decision is made, though neither offered a timeline in their statements.

California Highway Patrol spokesperson Fran Clader told USA TODAY the agency does not file charges and that Speaker Pelosi's high profile has not had any bearing on how her husband's case is being handled.

“The CHP has treated this incident in the same manner as it does any case,” Clader said in a June 9 email. “Any claims to the contrary are patently false.”

Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for Newsom, told USA TODAY on June 8 the governor “has had absolutely zero involvement” in the case.

The claim of dropped charges has also been debunked by various fact-checking outlets, including The Associated Press, AFP and PolitiFact.

More: 'Grave evil': Pelosi denied Holy Communion by San Francisco archbishop for pushing abortion rights

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that DUI charges against Paul Pelosi have been dropped. The case remains under review by the Napa County Attorney’s Office, which has not yet made a decision as to what, if any, charges will be filed against Pelosi. He currently has an Aug. 3 court date.

Our fact-check sources:

• Check Your Fact, June 13, FACT CHECK: WERE PAUL PELOSI’S DUI CHARGES DROPPED?

• Paul Gero, June 13, voicemail message to USA TODAYNapa County District Attorney's Office, accessed June 13, Assistant District Attorney Paul Gero phone line recording

• AFP, June 10, Posts spread false claims about Paul Pelosi's DUI case

• PolitiFact, June 10, Charges haven’t been dismissed against Paul Pelosi because they haven’t been filed

• The Associated Press, June 9, False claims spread online about Paul Pelosi’s DUI arrest

• FactCheck.org, June 9, Posts Misrepresent Status of Paul Pelosi's DUI Charges

• Fran Clader, June 9, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• Napa County District Attorney's Office, June 9, Statement on Pelosi case 

• Erin Mellon, June 8, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• USA TODAY, May 29, Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi arrested, charged with DUI in California

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Napa County reviewing charges in Paul Pelosi DUI case