Trump Should Be ‘Prosecuted’ After Pelosi Attack

Following the attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said Saturday that former President Donald Trump should be “prosecuted” like a “mob boss.”

Pelosi, 82, was allegedly attacked inside his San Francisco home early Friday morning by David DePape, 42, a man who has previously espoused right-wing views, including Trump’s 2020 election fraud theories.

During the attack, he is said to have yelled, “Where is Nancy?” Pelosi was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery to repair a skull fracture.

Following the attack, the focus shifted to the rhetoric used by some Republicans, including Trump, against Pelosi in recent weeks, with critics claiming that the use of violent rhetoric may have contributed to the attack.

Kirschner said on Saturday that Trump should face legal consequences for his alleged role in inciting violence, comparing him to a mob boss who issues orders but does not engage in violence himself.

“If you don’t prosecute the mob bosses and the kingpins—if you leave them in place, they will continue to recruit,” he said. “And that is precisely what Donald Trump has been doing and will continue to do unless and until he is prosecuted.”

Kirschner drew a direct line from the Pelosi attack to January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters rioted at the United States Capitol building in an unsuccessful attempt to force Congress to block President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. Trump has been accused by critics and legal experts of encouraging the attack and failing to stop it.

Many of the Capitol rioters have faced criminal charges, but Trump has so far avoided them. He is still being investigated and has been subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the insurgency.

Kirschner stated that if Trump is not prosecuted, he will “continue to recruit foot soldiers.”

“Frankly this ongoing Trump-inspired violence is not a surprise,” he added. “What happened on January 6 and what just happened to Paul Pelosi is exactly what Donald Trump’s language and conduct and behavior is designed to accomplish.”