David DePape Breaks Down While Testifying at Paul Pelosi Assault Trial, Says Former House Speaker Nancy's Husband Wasn't His 'Target'

The man accused of attacking former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul, with a hammer last year took the stand for more than an hour and became visibly emotional during his federal trial, RadarOnline.com has learned.

David DePape, who pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official, explained to jurors on Tuesday that he went after Paul only "to get to my other targets," which the defense said was part of his bigger plan to end corruption in the United States and expose first son Hunter Biden.

DePape said he planned to interrogate the House Speaker in her home about Russia's involvement in the 2016 election while wearing a unicorn outfit he'd packed with the plans of posting the exchange online. Prosecutors said he had rope and duct ties with him at the time of the attack.

DePape confessed that he was prepared to break Nancy's kneecaps if she didn't tell the truth during said interrogation.

"Wasn't my intention, but a possibility, yes," he said about whether he wanted to inflict violence in the home when grilled by prosecutor Laura Vartain Horn.

As we previously reported, Paul underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and injuries to his right arm and hands after the hammer attack at the couple's San Francisco home during the early hours of October 28, 2022. Nancy was away in Washington D.C. at the time.

"I reacted. I hit [Paul] in the head," DePape said under oath. "I reacted because my plan was basically ruined."

He added, "I felt really bad for him because we had a good rapport and Paul was never a target."

DePape also burst into tears after he was asked how he transitioned from being "left-wing" to becoming more conservative, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, admitting that he was heavily influenced by conservative media outlets and podcasts.

​​"At that time I was biased against Trump, but there's, like, truth there," he said. "So if there's truth out there that I don't know, I want to know it."

Paul, for his part, testified on Monday about the attack. "It was a tremendous shock to recognize that somebody had broken into the house," he told the jury. "And looking at him and looking at the hammer and the ties, I recognized that I was in serious danger."

Paul said he tried to make an escape but was unsuccessful, adding, "I went back in and sat on the bed, and we had some conversation about him saying that she was the leader of the pack, he had to take her out."

Paul said he recommended waiting downstairs, telling DePape, "You can tie me up there and we can go to sleep."

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"My only shot was going to be if we were downstairs when the police came; it would be so much easier to arrest him," Paul explained.

Nancy's husband was ultimately struck three times on the top of the head with the hammer before the officers tackled him upon their arrival.

The next thing he remembered was "waking up in a pool of blood."