Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been hospitalised after she “sustained an injury” during an official engagement in Luxembourg, according to a spokesman.

Ms. Pelosi, 84, was in Europe with a bipartisan congressional delegation to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Her spokesman, Ian Krager, said in a statement that she is “currently receiving excellent treatment from doctors and medical professionals” and is unable to attend the remainder of events on her trip.

He did not describe the nature of her injury or give any additional details, but a person familiar with the incident said that Ms. Pelosi tripped and fell while at an event with the other members of Congress. Another person familiar with the situation said she injured her hip. The people requested anonymity to discuss the fall because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

Krager said that Ms. Pelosi “looks forward to returning home to the U.S. soon.”

Among the members on the trip was Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who posted on social media that he was “praying for a speedy recovery,” for Ms. Pelosi. The two lawmakers were captured holding hands in a group photo on Friday (Dec. 13) at the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg.

“I’m disappointed Speaker Emerita Pelosi won’t be able to join the rest of our delegation’s events this weekend as I know how much she looked forward to honoring our veterans,” McCaul wrote on X. “But she is strong, and I am confident she will be back on her feet in no time.”

The former leader’s fall comes two years after her husband Paul was attacked by a man with a hammer at their San Francisco home. The man, who was sentenced in October to 30 years in federal prison, broke into their home looking for Ms. Pelosi.

Ms. Pelosi, who was first elected in 1987 and served as speaker twice, stepped down from her leadership post two years ago but remained in Congress and was re-elected to represent her San Francisco district in November.

She has remained active in the two years since she left the top job, working with Democrats in private and in public and attending official events. Last summer, she was instrumental in her party’s behind-the-scenes push to urge President Joe Biden to leave the presidential ticket.

She attended the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington last weekend and was on the Senate floor Monday to attend the swearing-in of her former Democratic House colleagues, Adam Schiff of California and Andy Kim of New Jersey.

Earlier this week, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, tripped and fell in the Senate, spraining his wrist and cutting his face. McConnell, who is stepping down from his leadership post at the end of the year, missed Senate votes on Thursday(Dec. 12) after experiencing some stiffness in his leg from the fall, his office said.

San Francisco:

A man who attacked the elderly husband of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a hammer was sentenced to life in prison without parole Tuesday by a California state court, the district attorney general’s office said.

David DePape, who broke into the couple’s San Francisco home and bludgeoned Paul Pelosi in a horrifying attack captured on police bodycam, was already serving a 30-year federal sentence for the incident.

A San Francisco judge sentenced DePape, 44, “to a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole following his conviction on aggravated kidnapping and other charges,” the San Francisco district attorney general’s office said in a statement.

At the time of the October 2022 assault, Democrat Nancy Pelosi was second in line to the presidency and a regular target of outlandish far-right conspiracy theories.

DePape — a Canadian former nudist activist who supported himself with occasional carpentry work — had initially planned to target Nancy Pelosi. But he instead encountered her then-82-year-old husband.

During what DePape told officers was a “pretty amicable” conversation with Paul Pelosi, the husband managed to call for help from law enforcement officers.

When police arrived moments later, DePape hit Pelosi with a hammer before officers rushed at him and took the weapon away.

Pelosi was knocked unconscious and had his skull fractured. He spent almost a week in a hospital, where he underwent surgery.

Nancy Pelosi was not at home the night of the attack.

Moments before his sentencing Tuesday, DePape delivered a rambling, tearful statement about conspiracy theories including the 9/11 attacks and “evil magic murder rituals,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

He did not apologize to the Pelosi family, the newspaper said.

DePape’s lawyers have previously said they intend to appeal.

He “will now face justice for the violence that he wrought as a result of overheated dangerous and divisive partisan rhetoric spewed online and in person,” San Francisco district attorney Brooke Jenkins said in the statement.

“While some politicians made light of this incident and joked about it to score political points this was a horrific attack on one of our leaders, a family and our democracy. We must all do our part to stand for justice and the rule of law.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In the last 10 years, powerful symbols have frequently been used around the world to express popular outrage and protests. One of the more unusual memorials, nevertheless, has just surfaced in front of the US Capitol, which houses the US Congress and is the centre of the federal government.

This unusual sculpture, a massive ‘poop statue’ that represents the events of the Capitol attack on January 6, has drawn a lot of attention and served as a contentious and enduring reminder of the event’s importance in American history.

According to The New York Post, it depicts a large, soft-served turd sitting atop former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk in an apparent dig at former President Donald Trump and the rioters who stormed the seat of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.

Also Read | First January 6 Rioter To Breach US Capitol Jailed For More Than 4 Years

“This memorial honours the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021 to loot, urinate, and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election,” a plaque on the base of the statue reads.

Also Read | Trump Supporter Who Rioted At US Capitol To Get His Spear, Headdress Back

According to The Washington Post, the National Park Service granted the permit request to Civic Crafted LLC. Julia Jimenez-Pyzik, the person who requested the permit, did not reply to text or phone messages seeking comment. The installation will remain on the Mall through October 30, according to the permit.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
| Photo Credit: PTI

Union Budget 2024-25: Nirmala Sitharaman to present Budget for a record seventh time in a row

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting the Union Budget 2024-25 on July 23, 2024. It will be a record seventh consecutive Budget presentation for Ms. Sitharaman. The monsoon session of parliament started on July 22 with the tabling of Economic Survey 2023-24. A total of 20 hours has been allocated for the debate on the budget.

Major fire onboard INS Brahmaputra: one sailor missing, ship resting on its side

A sailor is missing after a major fire broke out onboard an Indian Naval Ship Brahmaputra at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on July 21 evening leading to the ship listing on one of its sides. “The fire was detected by the ship’s duty staff while carrying out routine maintenance work onboard the ship. The ship’s fire fighting team immediately commenced fire fighting action and was augmented by the fire brigade from Naval Dockyard, Mumbai and other units in the vicinity. No casualties have been reported in the incident,” Indian Navy spokesperson briefed on July 22.

Opposition questions Lok Sabha discussion on Olympics preparations four days before event, brings up treatment of women wrestlers

A discussion on India’s preparedness for the Paris Olympics held in the Lok Sabha on July 22 set off questions from the Opposition not just on the timing of the debate (the event is to begin this Friday) but also on the controversies such as harassment allegations levelled by women wrestlers against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. During the discussion, Congress member Deepender Hooda brought up the wrestlers’s case. Though he did not name Mr. Singh, Mr. Hooda said a situation should not arise where players have to fight their own government and the system.

India has moved from women’s development to women-led development: Economic Survey

Observing that India is transitioning from women’s development to women-led development, the Chief Economic Advisor on July 22 said there has been a 218.8% increase in budgetary allocation for schemes for the welfare and empowerment of women even as it acknowledged that women in India face the “’motherhood penalty” with a drop in female labour force participation rate around childbearing years.

Supreme Court asks IIT-Delhi to solve ‘ambiguous’ question from NEET-UG Physics paper

The Supreme Court on July 22 asked the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi Director to assign three of its finest professors to solve a tricky and “ambiguous” question in the NEET-UG 2024 exam’s Physics paper within 24 hours and report back. Their answer would impact the total marks of over four lakh candidates, including 44 students who scored perfect scores in the exam.

Nancy Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris as Democratic Party’s presidential candidate

Top Democratic leader and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their party that he would be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump.

U.P. government still not relocated family of Hathras gang-rape victim, Allahabad HC told

The Allahabad High Court has been recently informed that the family members of the 19-year-old Dalit woman, who was gang-raped and murdered in 2020, face difficulty in their daily movement due to security concerns which prevail as the Uttar Pradesh government has not complied with the court order for their relocation. 

Israeli parliament approves bill to label U.N. relief agency UNRWA as a terror organisation

The Israeli parliament gave preliminary approval on Monday to a bill that declares the main United Nations relief organisation for Palestinians a terrorist organisation and proposes to sever relations with the body. The vote against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) is the latest step in a Israeli push against the agency, which Israeli leaders have accused of collaborating with the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza.

Government allowing ties of officials with RSS follows court cases in Himachal, M.P.

A compendium of instructions, part of a set of Rules, which governs the conduct of civil servants across the country is yet to reflect the changes brought in by a July 9 office memorandum that banned government officials from associating with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its activities.

India now among top 25 arms exporter nations: Economic Survey

India has transitioned from being an arms importer and found a place in the list of top 25 arms exporter nations, the Economic Survey revealed on Monday. Between 2015 and 2019, India held the distinction of being the world’s second-largest arms importer, but the narrative has changed now. Defence production has grown substantially in the country, from ₹74,054 crore in the financial year 2016-17 to ₹108,684 crore in 2022-23, boosting defence exports.

File picture of Democratic Party leader Nancy Pelosi, who has endorsed Kamala Harris
| Photo Credit: AP

Top Democratic leader and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their party that he would be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump.

Ms. Harris, 59, is mostly likely to be the presidential nominee of the Democratic party now that she has been endorsed by President Joe Biden, who announced on Sunday that he will not seek re-election, as well as other top party leaders including former president Bill Clinton.

“Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Ms. Pelosi said in a statement.

ALSO READ: Editorial on Joe Biden bowing out of the presidential race

The endorsement from Pelosi, 84, is significant given that she is a towering personality within the Democratic Party.

“Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris’s strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman’s right to choose,” she said.

“Personally, I have known Kamala Harris for decades as rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service. Politically, make no mistake: Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November,” Ms. Pelosi said.

Mr. Biden’s exit on Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties’ carefully honed plans for the 2024 race.

Aiming to put weeks of intra-party drama over 81-year-old Biden’s candidacy behind them, prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organisations quickly lined up behind Harris in the hours after he announced dropping his re-election campaign.

Former speaker of the US House of Representatives and leading Democratic Party figure Nancy Pelosi announced on Monday that she was backing Kamala Harris to replace President Joe Biden in the November election. 

With immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future, I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States. I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.
-NP pic.twitter.com/vBwv602GuR

— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) July 22, 2024

“With immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future, I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States. I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November,” Pelosi said in a message on X.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington DC:

Former President Barack Obama, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have yet to make their stand clear on endorsing Kamala Harris for the Presidential nomination. This even as a slew of Democrat Party leaders on Sunday displayed a show of support for Vice President Kamala Harris as their new presidential candidate, Politico reported.

Former President Barack Obama in a post on the platform Medium said “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

The statement, however, stops just short of officially backing Harris for the top job. Obama’s endorsement of Harris will be critical given that the Democratic National Convention is being held between August 19 to 22 on Obama’s home turf of Chicago.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reaction to the withdrawal of Joe Biden from the presidential race was one of effusive praise for Biden but had nothing to suggest that she had endorsed Harris.

“President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history. With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfilment,” she said on X.

After President Joe Biden endorsed her to be the new Presidential nominee, Harris got support from several Democrats like former President Bill Clinton, and former Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In a statement, the Clintons said “We are honoured to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever to support her.”

Congressman Ro Khanna also endorsed Kamla Harris saying “I am proud to endorse Kamala Harris as our nominee. Her trailblazing candidacy as the first African American woman and first Asian American will be a jolt of energy in our party. Our party can now run on a message of hope and a vision for the future.”

Congressman Jim Clyburn representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional district said he echoed President Biden’s endorsement of Harris.

“I echo the good judgement he demonstrated in selecting Vice President Harris to lead this nation alongside him, and I am proud today to follow his lead in support of her candidacy to succeed him as the Democratic Party’s 2024 nominee for President,” he said.

The goal now for the supporters of Harris is to get enough backers on board to help her win the nomination when the Democratic National Convention gets underway.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has been spoken of as a potential Vice Presidential running mate to Harris called for the party to unite behind her and focus on winning the election.

“The best path forward for the Democratic Party is to quickly unite behind Vice President Harris and refocus on winning the presidency. the contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania this collective work began. I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States,” Shapiro said in a statement on X.

With barely a month to go before the Democratic party convenes in Chicago the task before them is tough, Donald Trump already has a head start and only a united front can hope to wrest the initiative from him.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A file photo of DePape, who bludgeoned Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer and was sentenced to 30 years in federal court, was also convicted Friday, June 21, 2024, of aggravated kidnapping by a state court which could put him behind bars for life.
| Photo Credit: AP

A man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in the attack against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was convicted on Friday of aggravated kidnapping, a conviction that mandates life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

A San Francisco jury found David DePape also guilty of first-degree burglary, false imprisonment of an elder, threatening a family member of a public official and dissuading a witness.

The convictions on the additional charges in the state trial come weeks after a federal judge sentenced DePape, 44, for the 2022 attack against Paul Pelosi.

“Speaker Pelosi and her family remain in awe of their Pop’s bravery, which shone through again on the witness stand in this trial just as it did when he saved his own life on the night of the attack,” Pelosi’s office wrote in an emailed statement Friday. “For nearly 20 grueling months, Mr. Pelosi has demonstrated extraordinary courage and fortitude every day of his recovery.”

DePape’s public defender Adam Lipson said he was disappointed with the verdict and plans to appeal it. He called the prosecutors’ decision to file a kidnapping for ransom charge “vindictive.”

“It’s really unfortunate that it was charged this way. It was sort of a textbook vindictive prosecution,” Lipson said. “As soon as they found that the attempted murder charge was going to be dismissed, they added this charge.”

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at a news conference Friday that all charges her office filed against DePape were based on the same evidence.

The jury was “able to find that he was guilty and so there’s no need for any accusations of vindictive prosecution,” she said. “We’re simply trying to do our jobs to make sure that he was held accountable for every act that occurred that night that was criminal.”

Lipson earlier argued that the state trial represents double jeopardy following the federal conviction. Even though the criminal counts are not the same, the two cases stem from the same act, he told the judge.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman agreed and dismissed the state charges of attempted murder, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. Another judge upheld the decision on appeal.

Lipson said that the verdict means that after DePape serves 30 years in federal prison, he will be transferred to California “to spend the rest of his life in a California prison.”

Previously, a federal jury convicted DePape of assaulting a federal official’s family member and attempting to kidnap a federal official. On May 28, he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison during an unusual resentencing hearing that resulted from judicial error.

Lipson focused his closing arguments on explaining to the jury that prosecutors did not prove DePape kidnapped Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, with the intent “to exact from another person money or something valuable,” which is integral to the charge.

Assistant District Attorney Phoebe Maffei told the jury in her closing arguments that DePape had planned to record a video of his interrogation of Nancy Pelosi.

Lipson argued the video didn’t exist and if it did, it wouldn’t have had any value.

“When he broke into the Pelosis’ home his intent was to confront and potentially hurt and assault Nancy Pelosi. That was his intent at that time, that has nothing to do with Mr. Pelosi,” he said.

In her rebuttal, Maffei pointed out DePape told a detective and testified in federal court that he planned to get a video of Nancy Pelosi confessing to what he believed to be crimes and post it on the internet.

“There is inherent value in a video of the Speaker of the House confessing to crimes in her own home,” Maffei said.

The Oct. 28, 2022, attack on Paul Pelosi was captured on police body camera video just days before the midterm elections and shocked the political world. He suffered two head wounds including a skull fracture that was mended with plates and screws he will have for the rest of his life. His right arm and hand were also injured.

Accuused admits to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage

DePape admitted during his federal trial testimony that he planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, record his interrogation of her, and “break her kneecaps” if she did not admit to the lies he said she told about “Russiagate,” a reference to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Lipson told the jury during closing arguments that before the attack, DePape was living an isolated, lonely life and “went down the rabbit hole of propaganda and conspiracy theories.”

This week the judge expelled DePape’s former partner from the public gallery and the second floor of the San Francisco courthouse because the judge said she was trying to tamper with the jury.

On Monday and Tuesday, Gypsy Taub, a well-known activist in the Bay Area, handed out pieces of paper outside the courtroom with the address of a website she runs that promotes conspiracy theories. The cards were also found in a women’s bathroom near the courtroom, where the website’s address was scrawled in marker on a wall.

DePape’s federal public defender Angela Chaung said during his federal sentencing that DePape was first exposed to extreme beliefs by Taub, who has two sons with DePape.

Taub met DePape in Hawaii when he was 20 years old and she was in her 30s and pregnant, DePape’s twin sister, Joanne Robinson, said in a letter to the federal judge seeking leniency.

Robinson wrote that Taub isolated DePape from his family and inflicted “extreme psychological damage” on her brother.

New Delhi:

Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – in India as part of a bipartisan delegation of American lawmakers – met the Dalai Lama Wednesday and, hours later, launched a ferocious attack on China and dismissed President Xi Jinping. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama will live a long time and his legacy will live forever, but you, the President, will be gone and nobody will give you credit for anything.”

“The Dalai Lama would not approve my saying this… that I am criticising the Chinese government. He would say, ‘Let’s pray for Nancy to rid her of negative attitudes.’ But I hope he will indulge me today in saying change is on the way. As our colleagues have said, hope brings some faith and the faith of the Tibetan people, in the goodness of others, is going to make all the difference…” Ms Pelosi said.

She also said that bipartisan approval for the Resolve Tibet Act sends a message to China – that Washington is clear in its thinking on this issue. “This bill says to the Chinese government: things have changed now, get ready for that,” she said to cheering Tibetans at an event this afternoon.

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh: Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says “…His Holiness Dalai Lama, with his message of knowledge, tradition, compassion, purity of soul and love, will live a long time and his legacy will live forever. But you, the President of China, you’ll be gone… pic.twitter.com/zf4GP5W4g6

— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2024

The act – which will put pressure on China to resume negotiations, frozen for 14 years, with the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders – now only needs President Joe Biden’s signature to become law.

Mr Biden, unlike every US President since George HW Bush, has never met the Dalai Lama.

Tibetan officials, specifically the Central Tibetan Administration, or CTA, believe the Resolve Tibet Act, once signed, will stand as a powerful reaffirmation of the US’ commitment to the people of Tibet.

The US has long supported the rights of the Tibetan people to practice their religion and culture, and has accused China of human rights violations in the remote Himalayan region that borders India.

Confusingly, though, the US also considers the Tibetan Autonomous Region a part of China.

Ms Pelosi’s stunning broadside not only boosts to India’s position against China, it also comes as US President Joe Biden is set to sign a bill pressing Beijing to resolve the Tibet dispute and underlines Washington’s intention to stop Beijing from intervening in the selection of the next Dalai Lama.

Tradition dictates the Dalai Lama is reincarnated after his death and the current leader – who will turn 89 next month – has said his successor may be found in India. However, China insists officially atheist Communist leaders will name the next Dalai Lama, in line with a legacy from the past.

The US delegation – led by Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-New York) – reached India Tuesday, and was met Tibetan officials, Buddhist monks and nun, and school children at Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra airport. The visit comes before the Dalai Lama’s visit for treatment for a knee condition.

Their visit is significant because it comes as Washington and Beijing work to improve relations between two of the world’s economic and military giants. China has already expressed irritation.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace laureate, a dangerous separatist, and has said it is “seriously concerned” by the American delegation’s visit and the bill to be signed by Mr Biden.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday affairs related to Tibet were an internal matter and that Beijing would take “resolute measures” to defend its sovereignty. “We urge the US side to adhere to commitments of recognising Tibet as part of China…” a spokesperson told press in Beijing Tuesday.

It’s known by all that the 14th #DalaiLama is not a pure religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion. We urge the US side to fully recognize the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai group, honor the…

— Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India (@ChinaSpox_India) June 18, 2024

The US delegation, however, appeared unmoved. Mr Meeks said, “China can express its unhappiness (but) we are going to stand for what is right… to make sure Tibetans have freedom, (that) they can return to their native land and keep their culture and history. That is what is important…”

Who Is The Dalai Lama?

Born in 1935 as Lhamo Thondup, the Dalai Lama was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor at the age of two, and enthroned in 1940 as the 14th Dalai Lama in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.

He fled Tibet in 1959, and since then lives in McLeodganj, a small town near Dharamsala.

He is said to believe in a ‘middle-way’ approach, meaning greater autonomy over independence

With input from agencies

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San Francisco:

A man who attacked the elderly husband of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a hammer was jailed Friday for 30 years.

David DePape was convicted last year of breaking into the couple’s San Francisco home and bludgeoning Paul Pelosi.

At the time of the October 2022 attack, Democrat Nancy Pelosi was second in line to the presidency and a regular target of outlandish far-right conspiracy theories.

Jurors heard how DePape — a Canadian former nudist activist who supported himself with occasional carpentry work — had initially planned to target Nancy Pelosi, planning to smash her kneecaps if she did not admit to her party’s “lies.”

On arriving at their home armed with rope, gloves and duct tape, DePape instead encountered her then-82-year-old husband, and kept asking, “Where’s Nancy?”

During what DePape told officers was a “pretty amicable” conversation with Paul Pelosi, the husband managed to call for help from law enforcement officers.

But moments later, in scenes captured by police bodycam, DePape hit Pelosi with a hammer before officers rushed at him and took the weapon away.

Pelosi was knocked unconscious and had his skull fractured. He spent almost a week in a hospital, where he underwent surgery.

Nancy Pelosi was not at home the night of the attack.

Prosecutors had asked the federal court in San Francisco to sentence DePape to 40 years in prison.

In the lead up to Friday’s sentencing, Nancy Pelosi had asked the judge to impose a “very long” sentence for an attack that “has had a devastating effect on three generations of our family.”  

“Even now, eighteen months after the home invasion and assault, the signs of blood and break-in are impossible to avoid.

“Our home remains a heartbreaking crime scene,” she wrote, according to court documents cited by the San Francisco Chronicle.

On Friday her office said the family was proud of Paul Pelosi “and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case.”

– Politicized–

DePape had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

While not denying the attack, his defense rested on contesting federal prosecutors’ claims that he had targeted Nancy Pelosi in her capacity as a federal official — a key factor in their charges.

Instead, his lawyers argued that DePape was driven to target a number of prominent liberal figures, due to his exposure to a web of obscure conspiracy theories.

In social media posts, DePape shared QAnon theories and false claims that the last US election was stolen.

The trial heard how DePape did not intend to stop his supposed anti-corruption crusade with Pelosi, and had drawn up a list of other targets including a feminist academic whom he accused of turning US schools into “pedophile molestation factories.”

Other personalities the defendant admitted wanting to attack included California Governor Gavin Newsom, President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, and actor Tom Hanks.

Jurors took less than 10 hours to reject DePape’s explanation of the attack, which took place just a few days before the US midterm elections.

The attack itself became politicized in the weeks after it occurred, with some members of the Republican Party mocking the incident and suggesting lurid and unsubstantiated explanations for why there was a man in Pelosi’s house late at night.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)