Arizona Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake seemingly joked about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband as she campaigned in the state.
Ms Lake, a pro-Trump former TV anchor, was at an event in Scottsdale when she was asked about increasing school security.
“It is not impossible to protect our kids at school, they act like it is. Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protection when she’s in DC, apparently, her house doesn’t have a lot of protection,” she said.
The line got a huge laugh from the crowd, and the chuckling moderator found it so amusing he had to cover his face with his notes.
And she added: “If our lawmakers can have protection, if our politicians can have protection, if our athletes, then certainly the most important people in our lives - our children - should have protection.”
David DePape, 42, is accused of breaking and entering into the couple’s Pacific Heights home and assaulting the 82-year-old Mr Pelosi.
An FBI affidavit states that Mr DePape attacked Mr Pelosi “with intent to retaliate against” the speaker “on account of the performance of official duties”.
After being attacked with a hammer, Mr Pelosi successfully underwent surgery for a skull fracture and significant injuries to his right arm and hands, according to Ms Pelosi’s spokesperson.
A string of Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump Jr, have mocked Mr Pelosi for being attacked in his own home.
