Biden links 'politically violent' attack on Paul Pelosi to Jan. 6 riot
US President Biden compares the attack on Pelosi's husband to "political violence" and related it to the Capitol riot.
US President Joe Biden denounced on Friday the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband as "political violence", linking it to the Capitol riot.
During a fundraiser for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Biden claimed that the attacker was using the "same chant" that rioters at the US Capitol used during the January 6 attack, the New York Post reported.
“You know, it’s reported that the same chant was used by this guy they have in custody that was used on January 6 in the attacks on the US Capitol,” the President told the Democratic donors in attendance.
“The chant was ‘Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?’ This is despicable,” Biden said.
The President then accused Republicans of instigating mentally ill people, implying that the incident was an act of "political violence".
“There is no place in America — there’s too much violence, political violence, too much hatred, too much vitriol, and what makes us think that one party can talk about stolen elections, COVID being a hoax — this is all a bunch of lies — and it does not affect people who may not be so well balanced,” Biden said.
“What makes us think that it’s not going to corrode the political climate? Enough is enough,” he added, asking “every person of good conscience” to “stand up against the violence in our politics."
The President mentioned earlier in his speech that he had spoken with the House speaker and "arranged for her" to travel from Washington, DC, to San Francisco, where the attack happened early on Friday.
He also said that Paul Pelosi is “doing OK” and “seems to be coming along well” and that the whole Pelosi clan is by his side.
Two days earlier, Pelosi’s spokesperson said the speaker's husband was "violently assaulted" by a home intruder, while the Speaker was not home at the time.
According to reports, the intruder was looking for Speaker Pelosi and confronted her 82-year-old husband.
"Mr. Pelosi was taken to the hospital, where he is receiving excellent medical care and is expected to make a full recovery," the statement from Pelosi's office read.
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