Nancy Pelosi's Husband's Alleged Assaulter Demands Jurors Reveal If They Support Former House Speaker
Nov. 3 2023, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
The man accused of assaulting Nancy Pelosi’s husband wants prospective jurors in his criminal case to reveal if they voted for the former House Speaker, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
Lawyers for David DePape argued the political persuasion of the jurors could determine if their client gets a fair trial in San Francisco federal court, court documents revealed.
The MAGA-loving 43-year-old was charged with fracturing Paul Pelosi’s skull with a hammer and attempted kidnapping of a federal officer following the terrifying October 2022 home invasion caught on police bodycam video.
David DePape is accused of assaulting Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul, 83.
DePape, who faces 50 years in federal prison, believes it will be difficult to get a fair trial if the jury is loaded with Nancy Pelosi voters, documents showed.
His public defenders said they want to ask the sticky political questions during voir dire – the courtroom procedure where jurors are questioned about their background.
“In light of the specific nature of this case, which involves a prominent elected official as an alleged victim, the Court should permit inquiry during voir dire into prospective jurors’ political party affiliation, and whether they ever voted for Nancy Pelosi,” his lawyers argued in court documents. “Especially in high-profile trials with a political valence, such as this one, voir dire about prospective jurors’ political views and attributes is appropriate and necessary.
DePape’s team also argued that pro-Pelosi jurors, “would be unable to fairly evaluate the facts adduced at trial, such information would result in excusal for cause, in addition to being relevant to Mr. DePape’s reasonable use of peremptory challenges.”
DePape's lawyers seek to ask potential jurors if they voted for Nancy Pelosi.
Politics will play a role in the trial since DePape allegedly told police he wanted the now former Democratic House Speaker to pay for the political “persecution” of former President Donald Trump and his re-election campaign.
In a police jailhouse interview, DePape decried the democrat's attempt to impeach Trump, railed against his election opponent, Hillary Clinton and accused Nancy Pelosi of being the “leader of the pack,” according to Business Insider.
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DePape thinks he will not get a fair trial if the jurors are Democrats who voted for Pelosi.
Federal prosecutors argued that questioning jurors about their party affiliation or candidate of choice is an invasion of voter privacy.
“Defendant is unlikely to be able to establish that political affiliation or voting are better proxies for bias,” the court documents stated.
“Additionally, asking potential jurors about votes they cast flies in the face of this country’s long support of the right to cast a secret ballot in a public election. Accordingly, the Court should deny the motion without prejudice but consider whether any events during voir dire warrant revisiting the issue.”
Federal prosecutors objected to the motion arguing it would invade the jurors election vote privacy.
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