Did David DePape go to the Pelosi house for gay sex and drugs? No, that's not true. FBI charging documents for David DePape state that he told investigators he wanted to hold House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "hostage" and "break her kneecaps" when he encountered her husband Paul in the home. According to the documents, DePape never mentioned gay sex or drugs as the reason for his break-in of the San Francisco home and clearly said Nancy Pelosi was the intended target.
The claim appeared in a tweet on October 28, 2022 (archived here), which opened:
David Depape tells investigators that he and Paul Pelosi were engaging in gay sex and an argument ensued over drugs. Pelosi's are refusing to turn over surveillance video of their home fueling more speculation of homosexuality at the home. Depape has arrests for male prostitution
This is what the post looked like on Twitter at the time of writing:
(Source: Twitter screenshot taken on Mon Oct 31 20:04:46 2022 UTC)
Paul Pelosi was attacked in his home in the early hours of October 28, 2022, according to the criminal complaint released by the FBI on October 31, 2022. DePape said Nancy Pelosi was his target, the complaint said. From page six of the documents:
DEPAPE stated that he was going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her. If Nancy were to tell DEPAPE the 'truth,' he would let her go, and if she 'lied,' he was going to break 'her kneecaps.' DEPAPE was certain that Nancy would not have told the 'truth.' In the course of the interview, DEPAPE articulated he viewed Nancy as the 'leader of the pack' of lies told by the Democratic Party. DEPAPE also later explained that by breaking Nancy's kneecaps, she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions. DEPAPE also explained generally that he wanted to use Nancy to lure another individual to DEPAPE.
(Source: Department of Justice website screenshot taken on Mon Oct 31 20:10:46 2022 UTC)
According to the FBI, DePape believed he was "much like the American founding fathers with the British, he was fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender."
KTVU in San Francisco originally published a news story (archived here) that claimed DePape was in his underwear when police arrived, causing the spread of the false news. It updated the story to read:
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated what clothing the suspect was wearing when officers found him.
Page six of the affidavit describes officers detaining DePape and stating they searched his shorts. It did not mention he was only wearing underwear when they arrived:
DEPAPE pulled the hammer from Pelosi's hand and swung the hammer, striking Pelosi in the head. Officers immediately went inside and were able to restrain DEPAPE. While officers were restraining DEPAPE, Pelosi appeared to be unconscious on the ground. Officers removed a cell phone, cash, clipper cards, and an unidentified card from DEPAPE's right shorts pocket.
