Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was severely beaten by an assailant who broke into their San Francisco home. Pelosi, 82, suffered blunt force injuries in the Friday attack, the Associated Press reports. The attack was not random; the assailant specifically targeted the home. The assailant was in custody. Pelosi was “violently assaulted” but was expected to make a full recovery, said Nancy Pelosi’s spokesman, Drew Hammill. The attack was carried out with a hammer, CNN reports. Nancy Pelosi was not in the residence at the time.
While the circumstances of the attack are unclear, it raises new questions about the safety of members of Congress and their families as threats to lawmakers are at an all-time high almost two years after the violent Capitol insurrection. Members of Congress have received additional dollars for security at their homes. Some have asked for more protection as people have showed up at their homes and as they have received an increasing number of threatening communications. Paul Pelosi is a wealthy investor. The Pelosis have five adult children and many grandchildren. This year, Paul Pelosi pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges related to a May crash in California’s wine country and was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation.