Paul Pelosi attack: DA calls for political rhetoric to be toned down as she announces charges against David DePape

Suspect also faces string of federal charges and up to life imprisonment if convicted

The San Francisco District Attorney called for political rhetoric to be toned down as she announced charges against David DePape for the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband.

Brooke Jenkins said there should be greater civility in US politics as she announced state charges against the suspect for the brutal hammer attack on Paul Pelosi at the couple’s home in the city.

The city’s top prosecutor said that her office will charge the suspect with 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.

“Violence has no place in the city and we will work vigorously to hold the defendant accountable,” she told a Monday press conference.

“As leaders and citizens, is incumbent upon us all to watch the words that we say and to turn down the volume of our political rhetoric. We should be able to all engage in passionate political discourse but still remain respectful of each other. Violence has no place in San Francisco or politics.”

Ms Jenkins said that she would be filing a motion that the suspect is detained without bail when is arraigned on Tuesday.

“That is based on what is an obvious and severe public safety risk that the defendant poses to San Francisco as well as the outer community,” she added.

David DePape, pictured in 2013 (AP)

And she told reporters that if convicted, Mr DePape could face between 13 years and life imprisonment.

The state charges were announced several hours after federal charges were made against the suspect.

The charges of assault on the immediate family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal official were outlined in a criminal complaint filed by an FBI agent in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday afternoon.

The filing happened three days after 42-year-old Mr DePape was accused of breaking and entering into the couple’s Pacific Heights home and assaulting the 82-year-old Mr Pelosi.

Paul Pelosi, pictured with his wife Nancy, underwent surgery for a fractured skull (Getty)

The criminal complaint was based on an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Stephanie Minor and states that Mr DePape attacked Mr Pelosi “with intent to retaliate against” the speaker “on account of the performance of official duties”.

“DePape stated that he was going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her. If Nancy were to tell DePape the ‘truth,’ he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps’,” the complaint said.

“DePape was certain that Nancy would not have told the ‘truth.’ In the course of the interview, DePape articulated he viewed Nancy as the ‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party.”