House speaker Nancy Pelosi has for the first time described the moment US Capitol police woke her in Washington DC to say her husband, Paul Pelosi, had been attacked in their home in San Francisco.
“So I run to the door and I’m very scared,” Pelosi told CNN, in an exclusive interview to be broadcast in full on Monday night. “I see the Capitol police and they say, ‘We have to come in to talk to you.’”
Visibly upset, Nancy Pelosi told CNN that on the night of the attack, she was asleep in her Washington home when she heard the doorbell ring.
“I look up, I see it’s 5am, they must be at the wrong apartment,” she said, adding that another ring was followed by “bang, bang, bang, bang, bang on the door”.
After describing opening the door to Capitol police officers, Pelosi added: “And I’m thinking my children, my grandchildren. I never thought it would be Paul because, you know, I knew he wouldn’t be out and about, shall we say.
“And so they came in. At that time, we didn’t even know where he was or what his condition was. We just knew there was an assault on him in our home.”
Pelosi, 82, also said the attack last month would affect her decision about whether to retire if Democrats lose the House in the midterm elections on Tuesday. Republicans are widely favoured to retake control of the chamber and possibly also the Senate.
Paul Pelosi, also 82, sustained serious injuries including a fractured skull when an intruder hit him with a hammer. He was released from hospital last Friday.
The 42-year-old suspect, David DePape, shouted “Where’s Nancy” as he broke in, according to law enforcement, and is reported to have echoed conspiracy theories and rightwing talking points in online postings. He now faces charges including attempted murder, burglary and assault.
According to law enforcement officials, the attacker told police he wanted to take the speaker hostage and potentially “break her kneecaps”. According to a court filing, he also told police he was on a “suicide mission” and had a list of other public figures to target.
The attack aimed at Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency, has further heightened fears of politically motivated violence around the midterm elections and across the US in general.
Prominent Republican and conservative media figures have questioned official accounts of the incident in San Francisco, joked and peddled conspiracy theories.
Pelosi spoke to the deep divisions in Washington, calling for “healing” and blaming Republicans for fanning the flames of political violence.
“You see what the reaction is on the other side to this, to make a joke of it, and really that is traumatizing too,” she said.
“In our democracy there is one party that is doubting the outcome of the election, feeding that flame, and mocking any violence that happens. That has to stop,” Pelosi added.
The House speaker also addressed her fears about the toll that the attack has taken on her husband and the rest of their family.
“[Paul is] so concerned about the traumatic effect on our children and our grandchildren, and we’re concerned about the traumatic effect on him,” she said.
The interviewer, Anderson Cooper, also asked about “discussion about whether you’d retire if Democrats lose the House”. Pelosi said her “decision will be affected about what happened the last week or two”.
Cooper asked if that meant her decision on retirement would be “impacted by the attack in any way”.
Pelosi twice said “Yes”, it would.
