Newly released body-cam footage of Paul Pelosi’s attack has eradicated any doubt about the severity of the incident and has subsequently left those who mocked the ordeal – namely Elon Musk – at the wrath of Twitter’s fiery pitchfork.
The body-cam footage reveals what many already knew to be accurate, and what the San Franciso Police Department corroborated with its initial reports: An assailant named David Wayne DePape, 42, broke into Paul and Nancy Pelosi’s home on the morning of Oct. 28, 2022, entered the couple’s bedroom looking for the former Speaker of the House, and upon learning that she was not present attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, striking him in the head and fracturing his skull.
The footage shows police officers arriving at the scene after a 911 dispatcher alerted them to the situation. (Pelosi made the call, and the trained dispatcher had the wherewithal to understand something was not right). When then the front door opens, Paul Pelosi is seen trying to calmly wrestle the hammer out of DePape’s grip; his hand is wrapped around the throat of the hammer while DePape’s remains on the handle. After the officers ask what is going on and demand that DePape drop the hammer, the assailant abruptly yanks the weapon out of Pelosi’s hand and strikes him over the head with it. Officers arrested DePape on the spot and Pelosi was said to have woken up in a pool of his own blood.
However, according to Elon Musk, the break-in was the result of some sort of lovers-quarrel with a male prostitute, a baseless accusation steeped in homophobia that the now-Twitter CEO made just three short days after acquiring the platform. Musk shared this misinformation via a debunked article with his over 112 million followers shortly before deleting the post. In response to a post made by Hillary Clinton, Musk wrote, “There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye.”
With the truth now available in horrifying and vivid color, Twitter is demanding Musk apologize for his reprehensible behavior and issue an immediate apology to Paul Pelosi.
Among those who joined Musk in peddling conspiracy-type theories and making a mockery of Paul Pelosi’s violent attack are right-wing political figures such as Candace Owens, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump Jr., the latter of whom even suggested wearing a “Paul Pelosi Halloween costume” to that year’s festivities, and posted a picture to social media of a pair of underwear and a hammer.
It’s unlikely Paul Pelosi will get an apology from any of them, but should Musk wish to hold onto any shred of credibility he still has, he would be wise to lead by example.