Conspiracy theory on Pelosi home break-in proven to be baseless

Conspiracy theories and disinformation spread extensively by prominent conservatives based on innuendo and falsehoods have been shown to be baseless by mounds of evidence, including statements by the attacker.

Posted 11/2/2021 and last updated 11/3/2022.

The break-in conspiracy theory centers around images showing some broken glass on the outside of the rear door of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home. The suspect assaulted her husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer. It resulted in injuries requiring surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to Mr. Pelosi’s right arm and hands.

Claims have been made that it wasn’t a break-in at all. This exploded on social media and certain blogs for a few days and then went mainstream via Fox News and former president Donald Trump. It has been heavily promoted by prominent conservative provocateurs, including Donald Trump Jr., U.S. Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district, and the hosts of Fox News’ Fox & Friends. The claim was also spread by Trump supporter and former law enforcement and CIA officer Del W. Wilber who blogs at a conservative Website. The day after Wilber’s tweet it had been retweeted nearly 20,000 times and liked more than 70,000 times.

On Tuesday Donald Trump spread the conspiracy theory during an interview with conservative radio host Chris Stigalon. Trump said, “It’s weird things going on in that household in the last couple of weeks.” He then added, “But the glass it seems was broken from the inside to the out. So it wasn’t a break-in it was a breakout. I don’t know. You hear the same things I do.” Trump also falsely suggested that Pelosi may have known the intruder.

Forensic glass analysis is far more complex than “glass inside” or “glass outside.”

Local police and the DA have been unequivocal that it was a break-in. Even the suspect, David DePape, confirmed he entered the home forcefully through a glass door. He told investigators that breaking through the door was a “difficult task that required the use of a hammer.” The glass was designed to not easily break. The suspect allegedly demanded to talk to “Nancy” during the attack on Pelosi, referring to the House Speaker, according to an affidavit by police officers. “Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” the attacker allegedly asked Mr. Pelosi around 2:30 a.m. In a police interview, DePape said he surprised Pelosi.

But if statements by the attacker, law enforcement, and the criminal complaint weren’t enough, The Washington Post reported that video footage from the Capitol Police confirms that the suspect broke into the home. Three people briefed on the attack or have viewed the video themselves say the video shows a man with a hammer breaking a glass panel and entering the Pelosi home.

It’s quite easy to find videos showing smashed glass falling both inward and outward. This is especially true when the glass has film on it, as the Pelosi’s did. Retired Las Vegas detective Randy Sutton, who retired as a Field Lieutenant, said he’s investigated a ton of burglaries and forcible entries and when you smash glass – especially when there’s film attached to it – it doesn’t just fall in one place.”

In addition to this conspiracy theory Twitter’s Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Jr., and Dinesh D’Souza, among others, have promoted to millions that Paul Pelosi and the man who attacked him were gay lovers who had gotten into a fight. Yet the suspect does not even claim that.

Despite overwhelming evidence debunking the conspiracy theories, the theorizing hasn’t slowed down. San Francisco Police Chief William Scott has called the conspiracies surrounding the attack “pathetic” and “disturbing.”

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, an American University professor who studies polarization and extremism, said about the smears, “We have a population that is unable to discern what is true and what’s not, and this spreading of misinformation from credible sources undermines that.” Miller-Idriss added, “People are willing to accept conspiracy theories when they reinforce the narrative they already hold in their head.”

It appears the truth doesn’t matter to a lot of Americans and they’re eager to lie about and mock an 82-year-old crime victim.