US worries mount over election violence following Paul Pelosi attack
- Assault of Nancy Pelosi’s 82-year-old husband has heightened concerns disinformation, toxic political criticism, fuel for attacks
- Politicians and poll workers have reported surge in threat messages and intimidation, including armed men patrolling ballot drop boxes
The shocking assault of top Democrat Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their home has heightened concerns that unconstrained disinformation and toxic political partisanship could spill over into violence around next week’s US midterm elections.
US security officials say unconstrained disinformation and political vitriol is volatile fuel for attacks, like the one in which a follower of right-wing conspiracy theories apparently sought to kidnap Nancy Pelosi over alleged election “lies”.
David DePape, who allegedly assaulted Pelosi’s 82-year-old husband Paul in their San Francisco home when he found she was not there, posted conservative conspiracy theories on his website on election fraud, Covid vaccines, climate change, the Holocaust and trans people in schools.
The attack came one week before midterm congressional elections, as politicians and poll workers have reported a surge in threat messages and intimidation.
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Those include, in Arizona, armed men patrolling ballot drop boxes, alarming people attempting to vote.