Now that David DePape has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his bizarre 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi at the former Speaker’s home in San Francisco, the reaction from the public has been mixed at best. Nearly everyone seemed to agree that something needed to be done about that lunatic, but questions still remain about what exactly was going on inside the Pelosi house on the evening in question. Others correctly pointed out that the sentence DePape received was grossly disproportional to those received by other people who commit equally serious crimes or even worse. That response seems to have severely triggered some on the left such as Hafiz Rashid at The New Republic, who claimed that the right is “losing its mind” over the sentencing. He claims that conservatives are framing DePape’s arrest as a “conspiracy” and cites several examples of conservative commentators who are pointing out the unequal dispensement of justice in this case.
David DePape, who broke into Representative Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and attacked her husband Paul with a hammer in 2022, was sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday. And the far-right thinks it’s a travesty.
Several far-right influencers seem to think that the arrest is a conspiracy, much like they thought about the initial attack.
Chaya Raichik, who runs the anti-LGBTQ account Libs of TikTok, took a break from banning books and instigating threats against teachers and children’s hospitals to post about how many more dangerous people than DePape won’t see a jail cell.
The man who attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer was just sentenced to THIRTY YEARS in prison.
People who were not sentenced to prison:
-Thousands of violent BLM rioters
-Many Antifa t*rr*rists
-Epstein’s client list pic.twitter.com/dN6UsMso8g— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 17, 2024
Ironically, rather than people “losing their minds,” Libs of TikTok really hits the nail on the head. DePape seems to be a seriously messed up individual who could likely do with a thorough psychological evaluation, but he did attack and injure someone with a hammer. But the judge in this case was also sending an obvious message to the rest of the country. You can attack shopowners, the police, or almost anyone else – particularly conservatives – and you’ll probably get off with a slap on the wrist. But if you dare to raise a hand against one of the swamp-dwellers in Washington or anyone close to them, we’re going to throw the hammer back at you with a vengeance.
Of course, that vengeance is somewhat tempered based on your perceived political leanings and those of your victim, particularly under the current administration. You probably remember Neal Brij Sidhwaney, the man who made death threats against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Robers in 2022. Roberts was viewed as a conservative and Sidhwaney was sentenced to 14 months behind bars. Granted, he didn’t physically injure Roberts, but you might think such an act would be taken fairly seriously. We still don’t know what sort of a sentence Nicholas John Roske will receive for showing up at Brett Kavanaugh’s house with a rifle and threatening to assassinate him, but I will confidently predict that it will be far less than 30 years.
Meanwhile, the judge is reopening DePape’s case. It’s not because they are considering throwing out the charges, but rather because of a procedural error. DePape was never offered an opportunity to speak during his sentencing as is typically required.
The federal judge presiding over the trial of the man convicted of attempting to kidnap former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and fracturing her husband’s skull with a hammer ordered a redo of David DePape’s sentencing Saturday, acknowledging that the court failed to ask him on Friday if he would like to make a statement before handing down a 30-year prison term.
Prosecutors raised concerns a few hours after U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley sentenced DePape late Friday morning, according to court filings. Then the defense filed a notice of appeal in the case.
This move will probably not impact DePape’s sentence. The judge is just making sure that all of the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. DePape will be sent off to prison and we’ll be left with the same lingering questions that have been raised since the news of the attack was first announced. How did DePape get into Pelosi’s house in the first place? Why did it look like the rear window had been broken from the inside rather than the outside? Why didn’t Paul Pelosi flee to shield himself behind the police when he answered the door? It’s all very strange and there certainly seems to be more to this story than what we’ve been told. Of course, Hafiz Rashid will no doubt accuse me of stirring up conspiracy theories just for asking.