The husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made his first public appearance since being attacked in October inside their California home.
Paul Pelosi, 82, attended a ceremony at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4.
David Rubenstein, chairman of the center’s board, introduced Speaker Pelosi and both she and her husband stood up and waved to the cheering crowd.
Paul Pelosi was wearing a black hat and a glove on his left hand. He waved with his left hand while holding hands with his wife, then waved with his other hand.
The screen then cut away to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who was among those cheering.
Paul Pelosi did not speak to the crowd.
Authorities have withheld the call itself, body camera video, surveillance footage, and other evidence.
Nancy Pelosi was in Washington at the time of the attack, according to her office and the U.S. Capitol Police.
Paul Pelosi underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and address “serious injuries” to his right arm and hands, a spokesman for the speaker said shortly after the attack.
Paul Pelosi was released from the hospital on Nov. 3.
Kennedy Center Ceremony
Sunday’s ceremony was to recognize the achievements of some of the nation’s artists.It “serves for millions of American arts lovers as the year’s crowning event, paying tribute to our nation’s preeminent artists with performances by the great stars of today who have followed in their footsteps,” according to the center.
Past honorees include actor Morgan Freeman, director Clint Eastwood, and the performing artist Cher.
The new honorees were actor George Clooney, singer-songwriter Amy Grant, singer Gladys Knight, composer Tania Leon, and rock band U2.
President Joe Biden, who was seated in a box near the Pelosis, delivered remarks.
He said the honorees were “truly exceptional.”
Biden later touched on U2, saying the band “has spoken and sung about the unspeakable cost of hate and anger and division—the pain, the suffering, the denial of freedom, the senseless loss of life, and the inhumanity we inflict on one another as nations, as people, and in our own lives.”
Biden quoted President Abraham Lincoln, who called before the Civil War for Americans not to see each other as enemies, adding, “we would do well to remember it today.”
“At a moment when there’s too much hate, too much anger, too much division here in America and, quite frankly, around the world, we have to remember today, as their song goes: ‘We’re one, but we’re not the same. We get to carry each other,’” Biden said, attempting to quote one of U2’s songs. The actual lyrics are, “One life, but we’re not the same.”
“Congratulations to you and your wonderful families. And thank you for showing us the power of the arts in ‘We the People,’” Biden concluded.
Government Seeks More Time to Process Discovery in Case
DePape is being prosecuted separately by California authorities and government prosecutors.Prosecutors did not detail the evidence.
Laura Vartain, one of the prosecutors, said that the process should be done by the end of the year, and asked for Feb. 8 to be the next court date.
U.S. District Court Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, the Biden appointee overseeing the case, agreed. The next event in the case is a status conference that day, according to the court docket.
Corley also asked about coordination between state and federal prosecutors. Vartain said that she has been speaking often with San Francisco authorities.
DePape is facing assault and attempted kidnapping charges on the federal level. The charges carry up to 50 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during a hearing in mid-November.
DePape was charged with attempted murder, elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, and other charges by local prosecutors. DePape has also pleaded guilty to those charges. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
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