On November 4, an NBC News report by Miguel Almaguer included details that contradicted the federal charging papers in the case against David DePape, about the alleged attack on Paul Pelosi.
“He did not immediately declare an emergency or leave his home,” Almaguer reported.
“He walked several feet back towards the assailant and away from the police,” Almaguer said.
“The front door was opened by Mr. Pelosi. He did not declare an emergency or try to leave his home, instead began walking several feet back towards the assailant and away from police,” Almaguer reported.
“We still don’t know exactly what unfolded between Mr. Pelosi and the subject for the 30 minutes they were alone inside that home before police arrived. Officials who are investigating the matter would not go into further details about these new details,” Almaguer told the Today Show host Craig Melvin.
Almaguer’s report was scrubbed from all NBC News platforms later in the day. It was scrubbed from social media, and NBC News issued an editor’s note on its website, reading, “This piece has been removed from publication because it did not meet NBC News reporting standards.”
Monday, it was reported that Almaguer was suspended following his report on Paul Pelosi, pending an internal investigation.
But local NBC Bay Area news is standing behind the original report by Almaguer, which includes several of the details that have. been retracted by NBC News surrounding the Pelosi attack, specifically about how Pelosi did not appear to be in any immediate danger when the police first arrived at the Pelosi mansion.
From NBC Bay Area News:
Body Cam Video Shows Paul Pelosi Opened Door for Police, Despite DOJ Saying Otherwise: Source
The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit spoke with a source familiar with the Pelosi investigation, who personally viewed body camera video recorded by officers responding to the Pelosi’s San Francisco home.
Police body camera video that captured the attack on Paul Pelosi, and the moments leading up to it, contradict one of the details included in the Department of Justice’s account of what happened that evening, according to a source familiar with the Pelosi investigation who personally viewed the body camera footage and spoke to the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit.
Despite this contradiction over who opened the door, the basic facts of the attack are not disputed in the documents: 42-year-old David DePape is accused of breaking into the Pelosi home and attacking 82-year-old Paul Pelosi with a hammer. DePape is being held in San Francisco County jail on attempted murder and multiple other felony charges. According to court documents, DePape was looking for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Paul’s wife, and threatened to break her kneecaps.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In recent days, the Department of Justice and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office have outlined differing accounts of who opened the door when police responded to Pelosi’s 911 call.
Senior Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban shares new details about what the body camera video actually captured as police arrived at the Pelosi’s San Francisco home.
Watch the video here:
