Alleged Pelosi attacker planned to target Hunter Biden, Tom Hanks

The man charged with attacking the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also had plans to target Hunter Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and actor Tom Hanks, according to a police officer who interviewed the alleged assailant.

Lt. Carla Hurley of the San Francisco Police Department said during court testimony Wednesday that David DePape revealed the target list to her during an hour-long interview at a hospital shortly after the October attack on Paul Pelosi.

An earlier court filing said DePape had named several “prominent” state and federal politicians, their relatives and a local professor as other targets, but it did not identify any of the individuals.

Prosecutors on Wednesday played 17 minutes of Hurley’s interview as part of a preliminary hearing to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to hold a trial on the six counts against DePape, who has been charged in connection with breaking into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home and brutally attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer.

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A portion of Hurley’s interview included DePape saying that he told Paul Pelosi, “I have other targets.”

While the House speaker was in Washington, D.C., during the attack, DePape questioned Paul Pelosi about her whereabouts, asking, “Where’s Nancy?” and vowing to break “her kneecaps,” according to an earlier court filing.

The judge determined Wednesday there was enough evidence to proceed to a trial.

DePape was indicted on a pair of federal charges including attempted kidnapping and assault. He also faces a series of state charges, including attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder and threats to a public official and their family. DePape has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Hurley said Wednesday that DePape also talked about conspiracy theories that fueled the alleged attack.

Newsom, a Democrat, has served as governor of California since 2019. Hunter Biden has been a political target on the right in recent years, particularly after a New York Post article from October 2020 alleged it had a “smoking-gun email” between the president’s son and a Ukrainian businessman.

Hanks, meanwhile, has lent his star power to support Joe Biden, appearing alongside him at a grassroots fundraiser in 2020. In January, Hanks narrated a video released by the Biden Inaugural Committee highlighting the president’s accomplishments during his first year in office.

DePape faces an arraignment on Dec. 28 for the state charges.