(Headline USA) The man accused of attacking former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer apologized Tuesday and touted his “really good rapport” with his victim, further fueling suspicious about the man’s true motives in what many believe was a lover’s quarrel or a false flag set up to deflect from David DePape’s actual ties to a group of pedophile cultists in the Bay area.
DePape spoke for more than an hour in which he tearfully recounted about how his political leanings went from leftist to right-wing after reading a comment on a YouTube video about former President Donald Trump. He claimed he bludgeoned Paul Pelosi after realizing his larger plan might be unraveling.
Testimony wrapped up later Tuesday, with closing arguments expected Wednesday.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official with intent to retaliate against the official for performance of their duties.
His attorneys argue that he was not seeking to go after Nancy Pelosi because of her official duties as a member of Congress and so the charges do not fit.
The attack happened in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022, just days before the midterm elections.
DePape claimed he went to the Pelosis’ home to talk to Nancy Pelosi about Russian involvement in the 2016 election, and that he planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and upload his interrogation of her online. Prosecutors say he had rope and zip ties with him.
DePape testified that his plan was to get Nancy Pelosi and other targets to admit to their corruption and eventually get President Joe Bident to pardon them all.
“It’s just easier giving them a pardon so we can move forward as a country,” he said, crying.
In testimony Monday, Paul Pelosi recounted the attack publicly for the first time. He recalled being awakened by a man bursting into the bedroom door asking, “Where’s Nancy?” He said that when he responded that his wife was in Washington, DePape said he would tie him up while they waited for her.
He testified that he was eventually able to call police from his cellphone. When officers arrived, DePape hit him with a hammer, Pelosi said, adding that DePape told him he was going to have “to take you out.”
DePape, meanwhile said the two got along surprisingly well under the circumstances, right up until the attack.
“I felt bad for him because we had a really good rapport and things were going good until the very last second,” he said.
A neurosurgeon who operated on Paul Pelosi after the attack testified that he had two wounds on his head, including a fracture to his skull that had to be mended with plates and screws. Pelosi also needed stitches on injuries in his right arm and hand.
“He was never my target and I’m sorry that he got hurt,” DePape said.
“I reacted because my plan was basically ruined,” he said when asked why he hit Pelosi.
He said he believed Paul Pelosi was dead up until he saw the charges.
Defense attorney Jodi Linker told jurors last week that DePape believed he was taking action to stop government corruption, the erosion of freedom in the United States, and the abuse of children by politicians and actors.
DePape testified he first was drawn to right-wing conspiracies after learning about “Gamergate,” an online harassment campaign against women in the video gaming community that took place about a decade ago. He said he often played video games for up to six hours a day while listening to political podcasts.
He heard about one of his targets, a University of Michigan professor, while listening to conservative commentator James Lindsay.
“The takeaway I got is that she wants to turn our schools into pedophile molestation factories,” he said.
In rants posted on a blog and online forum that were taken down after his arrest, DePape questioned the results of the 2020 election and echoed the QAnon conspiracy theory that claims the U.S. government is run by a cabal of devil-worshipping pedophiles.
The professor testified that some of her writings have been misconstrued to fit a narrative against the gay movement. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ordered her name not be put in the public record because of threats against her.
Asked by DePape’s defense attorney if she supported the abuse of children, the professor responded, “Absolutely not.”
She said that after Paul Pelosi was attacked, the FBI informed her that she was DePape’s main target. She said that she told university administrators and that they have taken measures to protect her, her students, and other staff.
DePape’s claims have struck some as dubious given his own connections to far-left groups, including a romantic relationship with a well-known San Francisco nudist who has long been at the center of allegations involving pedophilia herself.
Oxane “Gypsy” Taub, who has two sons with DePape, regularly allowed the underage boys, as well as DePape’s underage stepdaughter, to parade naked through the streets of San Francisco surrounded by adults.
Taub also served prison time in Berkeley following allegations that she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of the boys’ 14-year-old friends. However, she and the sons were present at DePape’s trial showing their support, according to media reports.
“Taub called DePape’s name softly and blew a kiss, and he smiled and waved in return,” wrote the Associated Press.
Whatever the case may be, both the Pelosis and DePape seem to be invested in pushing the same narrative that right-wing conspiracy theories were to blame—a defense that is more likely to gain a sympathetic ear in San Francisco than elsewhere.
After his arrest, DePape, 43, allegedly told a San Francisco detective that he wanted to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage. He said if she told him the truth, he would let her go and if she lied, he was going to “break her kneecaps” to show other members of Congress there were “consequences to actions,” according to prosecutors.
Other witnesses who testified Tuesday included Daniel Bernal, Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco chief of staff, and DePape neighbor Elizabeth Yates, who said she allowed him to shower at her home once a week.
If convicted, DePape faces life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty to charges in state court of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. A state trial has not been scheduled.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
