US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi was “violently assaulted” after a break-in at the couple’s San Francisco home early on Friday and a suspect has been arrested, authorities said.
According to Pelosi’s office, Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to the hospital and will likely recover fully.
According to the U.S. Capitol Police, the Democratic speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, who is second in line for the presidency, was in Washington at the time of the assault with her protective detail.
According to Capitol Police, the motive for the attack is still being investigated.
The circumstances surrounding the attack were unknown, including how the intruder gained entry to the house.
The Capitol Police, which is in charge of protecting Congress, said it was cooperating with the FBI and the San Francisco Police Department on the investigation.
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The San Francisco Police Department said it responded to a home break-in at 2:28 a.m. Pacific time (0928 GMT) and arrested a suspect. A press conference was scheduled to provide additional information.
The attack left Paul Pelosi with blunt-force injuries, according to the Associated Press, citing two sources familiar with the investigation.
According to White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, President Joe Biden called Pelosi on Friday morning to express his support.
The assault comes less than two weeks before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, which will determine control of the House and Senate. Republicans have been campaigning on issues such as violent crime, inflation, and other quality-of-life concerns.
Pelosi, 82, is a frequent target for Republican criticism and is frequently featured in attack ads as a Democratic leader in Washington and a longtime representative from one of America’s most liberal cities.
Her office was ransacked during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol by supporters of Republican then-President Donald Trump, some of whom were looking for her.
According to media reports, her home was vandalised in January 2021, with graffiti saying “”Cancel rent” and “We want everything” painted on the house and a pig’s head left in front of the garage.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have both reported receiving death threats and other forms of harassment in a politically polarised environment. An angry Trump supporter shot and injured five Republican members of Congress at a baseball practise in 2017, and Democrat Gabby Giffords was shot in the head during a public appearance in 2011.
Paul Pelosi, who owns a real estate and venture capital firm in San Francisco, was convicted of a misdemeanour charge of driving under the influence of alcohol after being involved in a car accident in May. In Napa County, California, he was sentenced to five days in jail.
Several police officers were stationed outside the Pelosi residence in Pacific Heights, an upscale neighbourhood with panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay, on Friday morning.
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