Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi—who survived after being repeatedly struck with a hammer during a home invasion—could have protected himself if he had “shot his attacker.”
Greene made the remarks during at a rally for former Republican President Donald Trump in Sioux City, Iowa. When Greene attacked Democrats and the media for focusing on the Pelosi attack—all the while lamenting violence that she said occurs “every single day in Joe Biden’s America,” the crowd booed Pelosi in response.
You can watch what happened in the two videos below.
Greene said:
“Paul Pelosi should have been a gun owner and shot his attacker."
“More Americans are robbed, stabbed, raped, kidnaped, carjacked and murdered."
“But the only crime victim you hear about from Democrats in the media is Paul Pelosi.”
Paul Pelosi was attacked with a hammer at the couple's residence in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California on October 28. He was seriously injured and underwent surgery for a fractured skull; his doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
David DePape, a 42-year-old California man, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted homicide and other felonies. He had intended to harm Speaker Pelosi and yelled, "Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?" during the attack, according to police who arrested DePape at the scene.
DePape had embraced far-right political conspiracy theories including QAnon, Pizzagate, ideas related to COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, and Holocaust denial.
Authorities have confirmed that DePape will be charged with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, and burglary.
Many have criticized Greene's remarks and admonished the crowd for booing Pelosi even while uncritically accepting Republican talking points about high crime rates.
Greene went on to claim that Pelosi "brutally attacked by a drugged-out illegal alien that should have been deported," fueling GOP conspiracies blaming migrants for high crime rates.
Her claim is patently false yet mirrored recent behavior from billionaire Elon Musk, who shortly after acquiring Twitter shared an article from the far-right Santa Monica Observer claiming that Pelosi was attacked by a lover he met at a bar in the middle of the night.
There is no truth to that allegation, and local authorities confirmed that Pelosi and his attacker did not know each other.
