Pelosi Attack Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

A San Francisco judge on Tuesday ordered the man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home, attacking her husband with a hammer, and seeking to kidnap her, to be held without bail. Adam Lipson, a lawyer for defendant David DePape, entered a not guilty plea on DePape's behalf during the brief hearing in Superior Court in San Francisco. It was the first public appearance since the early Friday attack for DePape, a fringe activist drawn to conspiracy theories, the AP reports. DePape only spoke to tell Judge Diane Northway how to pronounce his last name. Northway scheduled a hearing for Friday to reconsider whether to grant the 42-year-old DePape bail.

After the hearing, Lipson said he looks forward to providing DePape with a "vigorous defense." He also said he met DePape on Monday night for the first time and had not seen the police reports yet. "We’re going to be doing a comprehensive investigation of what happened. We’re going to be looking into Mr. DePape’s mental state, and I’m not going to talk any further about that until I have more information," said Lipson, who noted that a no-bail detainer in state court is a moot point because DePape also has been placed on a federal hold in the case. DePape faces state charges of attempted murder, burglary, and elder abuse. He faces federal charges including attempted kidnapping of a US official.

Those charges are outlined in an affidavit detailing the assault, which was largely captured on police body camera imagery after authorities responded to a 911 call from the Pelosis' Pacific Heights home. In Washington, US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger provided a sobering update Tuesday of security protocols for members of Congress. Manger said that although many improvements have been made since the Capitol attack, "there is still a lot of work to do." "We believe today’s political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for members of Congress," he said. Manger said the attack on Pelosi's husband, 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, was "an alarming reminder of the dangerous threats elected officials and public figures face during today’s contentious political climate."

(More Paul Pelosi stories.)