Former California Republican Representative Devin Nunes—who resigned from Congress to take the helm of Truth Social, former Republican President Donald Trump's personal social media platform—sparked outrage after he wrote a post mocking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi, who survived after being repeatedly struck with a hammer during a home invasion.
Nunes responded to the attack by posting a photo of a man in a monster costume wielding a giant mallet to his followers on Truth Social.
He included the following caption:
"At least this guy has his clothes on."
You can see the post below.
\u201cThe CEO of Trump Media weighs in on the Pelosi attack.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1667069441
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 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 kill 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.
The seriousness of the matter was not lost on social media users who criticized Nunes' actions almost immediately.
\u201cThis is the GOP. Hillary was right they are Deplorables \ud83e\udd2e\u201d— Ordinary Jose (@Ordinary Jose) 1667130434
\u201cThis is who they are. MAGA is a terrorist cult. #VoteBlueToSaveDemocracy\u201d— MissNancy \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@MissNancy \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1667081036
\u201cTurns out "Deplorable" was far too kind a word for what these people are.\u201d— Lynnie Locks\ud83d\udc08\ud83d\udc36\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udcda\ud83c\udf83\ud83c\udfb6 (@Lynnie Locks\ud83d\udc08\ud83d\udc36\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udcda\ud83c\udf83\ud83c\udfb6) 1667091451
\u201cThe cruelty is the point.\u201d— Rabbi Mike (@Rabbi Mike) 1667091744
\u201cNunes, you are despicable!!\u201d— Wendy Frederick (@Wendy Frederick) 1667093744
\u201c\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f these clowns hold positions of power and don\u2019t deserve anything\u201d— Mikeyest Mikey Mike (@Mikeyest Mikey Mike) 1667098771
\u201cThere really is no bottom for these psychopaths.\u201d— ProudVersum/Desperado (@ProudVersum/Desperado) 1667109007
\u201cMocking someone when they have undergone brain surgery after a politically motivated attack is offensive, cynical, and ruthless and under any circumstances.\ud83d\udca2\u201d— MariBella (@MariBella) 1667136801
\u201c@DevinNunes classless as always\u201d— Michael Lepay (@Michael Lepay) 1667078802
Nunes was a largely controversial figure for backing Trump from the early days of his administration, when an investigation into Russia's efforts to subvert the electoral process and help Trump win the 2016 general election dominated headlines. He also sued a fictional cow and faced ethics inquiries and speculation about his family farm and taxes.
A hardline conservative, Nunes was one of the Trump's more vigorous defenders.
In 2018, the much-debated Nunes memo, which alleged abuses of covert surveillance powers by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), incited a debate as to whether its contents would vindicate the now ex-President.
Multiple members of Congress, including prominent Republicans, disagreed.
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