Federal affidavit debunks wild far-right conspiracy theories about the attack on Paul Pelosi parroted by Elon Musk, Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene

• A federal affidavit debunks far-right conspiracy theories about the attack on Paul Pelosi.
• Twitter’s new proprietor Elon Musk, tweeted then deleted a baseless report about a dispute with a male prostitute.
• Pelosi informed authorities he had by no means seen the suspect earlier than, according to the affidavit.

A federal affidavit in the case towards the man charged with violently assaulting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband debunks far-right conspiracy theories swirling on-line.

Since Paul Pelosi, 82, was attacked in his dwelling with a hammer on Friday, wild and baseless theories of a gay tryst have been making the rounds in conservative boards, regardless that Pelosi informed authorities he had by no means seen the suspect earlier than, according to the affidavit. Right-wingers are additionally elevating suspicions about the police account, the timing of the attack, and the attacker’s background with a nudist group.

“It starts out with these weirdos, and then next thing you know, it’s Ted Cruz, and then it’s Marge Greene and then it’s 50 people in Congress saying it by tomorrow,” mentioned legal protection legal professional Ron Filipkowski, who tracks extremists on social media. “It’s the case with all these conspiracies.”

Paul Pelosi was hospitalized with a cranium fracture however is predicted to completely get better. David DePape, 42, who reportedly beforehand unfold right-wing conspiracy theories, antisemitism, and bigotry, was charged on Monday with assault on the rapid member of the family of a federal official and tried kidnapping of a federal official.

DePape informed authorities that Paul Pelosi was asleep when he broke in with a hammer by a glass door, in response to the affidavit, disproving theories that the glass was damaged from the inside. The attacker entered the bed room and mentioned he needed to speak to “Nancy,” in response to the affidavit.

DePape informed authorities that he was planning to break “her kneecaps” if she lied, although it is unclear in the affidavit about what.

Filipkowski has been monitoring conspiracy theories on the attack and says the homosexual tryst principle seems to have began with an inaccurate report that the suspect was solely sporting underwear. A KTVU reporter retracted that report on Twitter, nevertheless it rapidly led to rumors of gay prostitution being circulated, Filipkowski mentioned. 

‘Nothing to counsel that these two males knew one another prior’

Elon Musk, in a now-deleted tweet, said there might be “more to the story” and shared a hyperlink to a baseless report in the conspiracy-peddling Santa Monica Observer with the headline, “The Awful Truth: Paul Pelosi Was Drunk Again, And In a Dispute With a Male Prostitute Early Friday Morning.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a controversial Republican of Georgia referred to Pelosi’s attacker as his “friend” and backed up Musk, tweeting that “the media is the source of misinformation.”

Musk’s message and hyperlink had been retweeted greater than 30,000 occasions and appreciated greater than 110,000 occasions earlier than being deleted lower than an hour later, in response to The New York Times.

Filipkowski tweeted on Sunday that Musk’s publish was being reposted by QAnon and right-wing accounts on a number of social media platforms.

“The owner of Tesla and Twitter posted it. The dark corners of the internet are now mainstreamed,” he wrote.

—Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) October 30, 2022

Paul Pelosi was in a position to name 911 from a rest room and go away the line open so the dispatcher might hear him and perceive one thing was flawed, CNN reported. Police bought phrase that the dispatcher was informed Paul Pelosi did not know the DePape — but additionally that the man was a “friend,” in response to the Los Angeles Times. 

The affidavit, nevertheless, explains that Paul Pelosi had mentioned in the name the man who recognized himself as David was ready for Nancy Pelosi, and he did not know him.

San Francisco district legal professional Brooke Jenkins tried to appropriate the file on Sunday. “We have nothing to suggest that these two men knew each other prior to this incident,” Jenkins mentioned, according to CBS. The Santa Monica Observer revealed an replace with that info however did not change the headline.

Jenkins additionally mentioned the attacker was on the lookout for Nancy Pelosi and that studies {that a} third individual was at the dwelling have been unfaithful.

Once a Green Party member, DePape extra lately espoused right-wing conspiracy theories

DePape promoted conspiracy theories on-line, together with reportedly sharing claims that COVID-19 was a ruse, claims that the 2020 election was stolen, transphobic content material, and hyperlinks to web sites claiming that COVID-19 vaccines are lethal.

Earlier, DePape at one level joined a nudist group, turned a hemp jewellery maker, and registered as a member of the Green Party, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. His background is fueling extra commentary.

“This is all old news about this guy,” Filipkowski mentioned. “Of course, the conspiracy behind that is, ‘That doesn’t sound like a MAGA guy to us. That sounds like a hippie liberal.'” 

Right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh tweeted that it was “absurd” to color a “hippie nudist from Berkeley as some kind of militant right winger.” 

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas retweeted the publish, writing, “truth.”

—Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 31, 2022