STORY UPDATED: check for updates below.

Case Ongoing

Have the DUI charges against Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, been dropped? No, that's not true: The Napa County district attorney's office was working on charges stemming from Paul Pelosi's DUI arrest in Napa County, California, according to a voicemail message by Assistant District Attorney Paul Gero taped on June 10, 2022. Larry Kamer, the spokesperson for Paul Pelosi, told Lead Stories in an email on June 8, 2022, that claims that the charges have been dropped were "untrue." Kamer confirmed that status on June 13, 2022.

The claim, which cited no sources, appeared in an Instagram post on June 7, 2022, with the title "BREAKING: All charges have reportedly been dropped against Paul Pelosi for his DUI crash." It continued:

Gavin Newsom reportedly intervened at the request of Nancy Pelosi and directly ordered the California Highway Patrol to drop all charges.

This is what the post looks like at the time of writing:

(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on June 13 19:47:272022 UTC)

Larry Kamer of The Kamer Group Inc., a strategic communication consultancy, is Paul Pelosi's spokesperson. Lead Stories reached out to him twice about this claim.

He replied on June 8, 2022 to the question, "have all charges been dropped from Mr. Pelosi's DUI," with this email: "That's false."

Asked to reconfirm this, he emailed on June 13, 2022: "Correct."

Fran Clader, director of communications in the office of the commissioner for the California Highway Patrol (CHP), clarified via email on June 9, 2022, that the CHP does not file the actual charges:

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) arrested Mr. Pelosi and submitted the investigation to the Napa County District Attorney. The Napa County District Attorney's Office will determine which charges will be filed. The CHP does not file charges. Please contact the Napa County District Attorney's Office.

Clader also offered information that Lead Stories did not specifically request:

By the way, there are also comments about us not releasing the booking photo. You should know that booking photos are not the property of the CHP. Booking photos are maintained by the confinement facility, in this case the Napa County Correction Department.

A recorded voicemail message by the Napa County District Attorney's Office, said on June 13, 2022:

The Napa County District Attorney's office is currently working on charges stemming from the DUI arrest in Napa County, California. The case is currently under review to decide what if any charges will be filed against Mr. Pelosi. This is a standard protocol for any DUI case that is referred by a law enforcement agency in Napa County. No decision has been made at this time. Any speculation to the contrary is incorrect. When a filing decision is made by the Napa County District Attorney, the media and public will be notified.

Mr. Pelosi has agreed to a court date of August 3, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. in Napa County Superior Court.

The claim also mentions California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Lead Stories reached out to Newsom's office, and spokesperson Erin Mellon responded by email on June 14, 2022, saying, "The Governor and the Governor's office have had no involvement in this incident."

Lead Stories published this fact check on Paul Pelosi earlier in June 2022.