After the 2022 assault on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the far-right MAGA faction, including Rep. Claudia Tenney, callously mocked this violent attack on an older man. As the Buffalo News remarked about her before this incident, Claudia Tenney seems to have a broken moral compass.
Attack on Paul Pelosi, Husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi
On October 28, 2022, David DePape, a far-right conspiracy theorist, launched a violent attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in their San Francisco home. DePape, had intended to take Speaker Pelosi hostage. But DePape severely injured Paul Pelosi with a hammer before police apprehended him. Far-right conspiracy theories motivated DePape’s assault including belief in QAnon and the false narrative of a stolen 2020 election. State and federal prosecutors charged DePape with attempted murder and elder abuse. In November 2023, he was convicted of federal charges. On May 17, 2024, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, a sentencing error by the judge left the final outcome uncertain.
Mocking Assault on an 82 Year-Old Man
The MAGA crowd mocked the brutal attack on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi. This demonstrates, again, their moral dysfunction and warped values. At a press conference shortly after the incident, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake made light of the situation, saying, “Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protection when she’s in DC, apparently her house doesn’t have a lot of protection.” This remark drew laughter from MAGA audience. Similarly, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, tweeted—then quickly deleted—a false anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory. He claimed the attacker was a “male nudist hippie prostitute.” Elon Musk also fueled baseless speculation. He tweeted, “There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye.” He shared a fabricated story suggesting Paul Pelosi was drunk and involved in a fight with a male sex worker.
Here’s how former President Trump sparked laughter among California Republicans. He said, “We’ll stand up to crazy Nancy Pelosi, who ruined San Francisco. How’s her husband doing, by the way, anybody know?… And she’s against building a wall at our border even though she has a wall around her house, which obviously didn’t do a very good job.”
In response, Joe Scarborough expressed disgust, saying, “Here’s the sick part, really sick… The sickest part is the crowd was laughing along to the joke” highlighting just how disturbing the MAGA crowd.
And then we get to Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY24). Not long after the near-fatal attack on Mr. Pelosi, she posted the following retweet:
Rudy Giuliani Disbarred for Making False Claims
A New York appellate court barred Rudy Giuliani from practicing law in New York for making false claims. Giuliani’s call for a “trial by combat” contributed to the January 6 Capitol riot and drew complaints, including one from State Sen. Brad Hoylman. He filed with the Supreme Court’s Attorney Grievance Committee. “There can’t be any room in the legal profession for those who seek to undermine or undo the rule of law.”
The court found “uncontroverted evidence” that Giuliani made false and misleading statements, threatening public interest and violating state rules against dishonesty and fraud. In addition, a Washington, DC attorney disciplinary committee recommended disbarring Giuliani for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. They stated, “He claimed massive election fraud but had no evidence of it.”