Paul Pelosi Attack Leaves Capitol Police Facing Questions

The attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, has left the U.S. Capitol Police facing questions about their approach to the security of members of Congress.

Paul Pelosi was left with a fractured skull following an attack at the couple's home in San Francisco last week while the speaker was in Washington, D.C. and the incident has brought renewed focus on the Capitol Police.

Pelosi's alleged attacker, 42-year-old David DePape, has been charged with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary and other alleged felonies.

The attack has led to questions about how the suspect was able to enter the home with a weapon and assault Paul Pelosi. DePape allegedly used a hammer and entered the home shouting "Where's Nancy?"—suggesting the Democrat was an intended target.

Why Were Police Not Watching the Cameras?

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that U.S. Capitol Police officers were not watching cameras as they captured the break-in at the Pelosi home in San Francisco, citing three people familiar with how Capitol Police learned about the incident.

Aaron C. Davis, an investigative reporter with The Washington Post and one of the authors of the article about the Capitol Police response, took to Twitter on Monday and highlighted the issue.

"Capitol Police cameras caught break-in at Pelosi home, but no one was watching. Now, an urgent conversation about lawmaker security amid increased threats," Davis wrote.

Cameras were installed in Pelosi's home more than eight years ago by the Capitol Police but they were allegedly not being monitored from Washington D.C. when the attack took place.

However, an officer noticed police lights flashing on a live feed of Pelosi's home and then watched recorded footage showing the suspect entering the house with a hammer.

That appears to feed into further questions about whether the Capitol Police have enough resources—the force has 1,800 cameras monitoring the Capitol and elsewhere.

Capitol Police faced significant scrutiny following the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol which disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

Why Didn't Security Stop the Alleged Attacker?

Speaker Pelosi has her own around-the-clock security detail, but no-one prevented the suspected attacker from entering her home in San Francisco.

Following the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, a San Francisco police cruiser reportedly sat outside the house day and night for months but had stopped doing so, according to a CNN report on Tuesday, citing two law enforcement sources.

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that much of Pelosi's security detail had traveled with her to D.C. last week. Local police arrived after Paul Pelosi was able to call them.

Tara Setmayer, senior adviser with the conservative Lincoln Project, questioned the apparent lack of 24-hour security at the Pelosis' home.

"So, let me get this straight... Ex-govt official John Bolton gets a full 24hr Secret Service detail that includes residential security when he's not there BUT the current Speaker of the House, w/countless threats against her, does not?" Setmayer tweeted.

She was referring to former National Security Adviser John Bolton. Newsweek has asked the Secret Service about the matter.

"Capitol Police has some explaining to do," Setmayer said.

Are Capitol Police Properly Resourced?

Questions about security at the Pelosis' home raise a broader issue of whether the U.S. Capitol Police has the kind of resources necessary to protect all 535 members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger appeared to acknowledge this issue in a statement released on Tuesday, saying the Capitol Police had "engaged in a review" of the incident.

"We believe today's political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for Members of Congress," Manger said. "This plan would include an emphasis on adding redundancies to the measures that are already in place for Congressional leadership."

"Hopefully you can understand that we cannot disclose the details about these improvements because our country cannot afford to make it easier for any potential bad actors," the statement went on.

Manger's statement also noted that the department is "on track to meet our goal of hiring nearly 280 officers by the end of the year. It takes the better part of a year to put recruits through the academy. While progress has been made, there is still a lot of work to do."

Newsweek has asked the U.S. Capitol Police for comment.