Capitol Police Address Unmonitored Pelosi Feed, Warn Rhetoric Must End

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) has urged Americans to tone down "political rhetoric," while addressing why a live feed of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home was unmonitored before the attack on her husband last week.

Paul Pelosi was attacked at the couple's San Francisco home Friday, with David DePape, 42, charged in the violent home invasion. Pelosi sustained multiple injuries including a fractured skull. USCP explained in a release on Wednesday that a video feed of the home was not being monitored during the break-in because Nancy Pelosi wasn't home.

The agency said that it has access to around 1,800 cameras that can be employed at a central command center at "any time," including "cameras that are used to actively monitor the Speaker's San Francisco residence."

"While the Speaker was with her security detail in Washington, D.C., the San Francisco cameras were not actively monitored as they are when the Speaker is at the residence," USCP said. "The Command Center personnel noticed the police activity on the screen and used the feeds to monitor the response and assist investigators."

The agency added that it started "an internal security review and will be gathering input and questions from our Congressional stakeholders," while also providing "new protective options that will address concerns following Friday's targeted attack." USCP also urged Americans to tone down divisive rhetoric that may have contributed to the attack "before it's too late."

"Our brave men and women are working around the clock to meet this urgent mission during this divisive time," Wednesday's release said. "In the meantime, a significant change that will have an immediate impact will be for people across our country to lower the temperature on political rhetoric before it's too late."

Democrats have largely blamed the attack on the politically charged rhetoric from Republicans towards Nancy Pelosi. Police said that DePape was demanding to see her before attacking her husband with a hammer.

Republicans have argued that GOP rhetoric was not behind the attack and instead blamed Democratic politicians and policies on crime. Evidence-free conspiracy theories have also emerged from the right, usually centering on a baseless claim that the attack was part of a lover's quarrel.

Former President Donald Trump suggested during an interview with conservative radio host Chris Stigall on Tuesday that the home invasion "wasn't a break-in, it was a break-out," claiming without evidence that "the glass, it seems, was broken from the inside to the out."

Evidence gathered by San Francisco police, the USCP review of the surveillance footage and statements by DePape to authorities have all contradicted Trump's comments, other conspiracy theories related to the incident and the claim that the attack was not politically motivated.

Police said DePape told officers that he was in a "fight against tyranny" and that he had intended to take Nancy Pelosi hostage and break her kneecaps over what he perceived as lies from the Democratic Party.

USCP has not said whether it intended to publicly release footage of the Pelosi residence taken during the home invasion.

Newsweek has reached out to USCP for comment.