‘Where is Nancy?’: Pelosi home invader was searching for speaker

The intruder who allegedly assaulted Nancy Pelosi’s husband in the couple's San Francisco home early Friday morning was searching for the House speaker, according to a source briefed on the attack.

The assailant broke into the Pelosi residence shouting "where is Nancy, where is Nancy?” before violently assaulting Paul Pelosi, according to the source.

A spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi announced the attack in a statement Friday morning, confirming that the alleged assailant is in custody. The speaker was not in San Francisco at the time of the attack and Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, the spokesperson said.

“The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time,” the spokesperson said.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said at a press conference that police officers were dispatched to the Pelosi residence at about 2:30 a.m. for a priority well-being check, arriving on-scene to find both Paul Pelosi and the suspect holding a hammer.

"The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it," Scott said. "Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup and rendered medical aid."

Paul Pelosi was admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital Friday morning, the hospital confirmed. The suspect, identified as a 42-year-old male, was also transported to a local hospital for treatment, Scott said.

The motive for the attack is still being determined, the chief said, and the suspect will be booked at San Francisco county jail on the charges of attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary and several additional charges.

The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement Friday that it would assist the FBI and San Francisco police with a joint investigation into the break-in, and confirmed that the speaker was in Washington with her security detail at the time of the attack. Special agents from the Capitol Police department's California field office "quickly arrived on scene," and a team from the department's Threat Assessment Section was dispatched to the West Coast to assist with the joint investigation, USCP said in the statement.

On Friday morning, the block of stately homes where Pelosi lives was cordoned off with police tape. Several police vehicles and FBI agents were visible outside the residence.

“What’s our society coming to?” a passing man on a motorbike said after being informed of the break-in.

Pelosi had returned to Washington earlier this week from a security conference in Europe. She is scheduled to keynote an advocacy event with Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday evening.

The incident occurred as threats to lawmakers are at an all-time high almost two years after the deadly Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6. Members of Congress in recent months have called for additional protection at their homes as some lawmakers have faced an increase of threats to their personal safety.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that President Joe Biden spoke with Nancy Pelosi Friday morning to "express his support after this horrible attack." She added that the president is praying for the Pelosi family and that he's "very glad" a full recovery is expected.

"The President continues to condemn all violence, and asks that the family’s desire for privacy be respected," Jean-Pierre said.

Many congressional lawmakers, including Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, took to Twitter Friday morning to condemn the attack and express support for the speaker and her husband. Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reached out to Speaker Pelosi "to check in on Paul" and said he's "thankful they caught the assailant,” a spokesperson for McCarthy said. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) — also a survivor of a politically motivated attack — said he was "disgusted" by the attack and "grateful for for law enforcement's actions to respond. Republican Caucus Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said of the alleged attacker in a statement "this criminal should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"Horrified and disgusted by the reports that Paul Pelosi was assaulted in his and Speaker Pelosi's home last night," McConnell said in a tweet. "Grateful to hear that Paul is on track to make a full recovery and that law enforcement including our stellar Capitol Police are on the case."

Nicholas Wu, Jeremy B. White and Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.