The lie goes like this: “Paul Pelosi and the man who attacked him were gay lovers who had gotten into a fight.”
Republicans parted company with truth long ago and no sensible person believes them anymore. I’ll debunk this conspiracy theory anyway, not least because Trump embraced it (pun intended), but mainly because this is going to be fun.
Trump went on a radio program on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, to spit out this spin: “Trump vaguely suggested that ‘weird things’ had been going on recently in the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her husband.” (Read story here.) He continued,
“The glass it seems was broken from the inside to the out so it wasn’t a break-in, it was a breakout. I don’t know, you hear the same things I do,” Trump said. “It’s a lot of bad stuff, and I’m not a fan of Nancy Pelosi, but what’s going on there is very sad,” he added. “The whole thing is crazy. I mean, if there’s even a little bit of truth to what’s been said.”
Just to make sure none of his listeners missed it, he repeated himself:
“’The window was broken in and it was strange the cops were standing there practically from the moment it all took place. So, you’re going to have to explain that to your audience, including me.’”
“You hear the same things I do.” You probably do, if you have your head in a dumpster, because that’s where this kind of stuff comes from.
“The whole thing is crazy.” One of the few things he’s ever been right about. Let’s start at the beginning. Even David Depape, the accused attacker, isn’t claiming that’s what happened. The police say he and Pelosi didn’t know each other, Depape told them he was looking for Nancy to tie her up and break her kneecaps, and his own statements and immersion in rightwing conspiracy theories makes plain the political motivation.
Keep in mind that Trump was a continent away, so he didn’t witness the crime scene. The cops who did aren’t claiming the glass was broken from inside. But here’s the capper: The break-in was recorded on surveillance video. No one at the U.S. Capitol Police command center in Washington D.C. was watching the monitor at the time, but here’s what the tape shows:
“There, on camera, was a man with a hammer, breaking a glass panel and entering the speaker’s home, according to three people familiar with how Capitol Police learned of the break-in and who have been briefed on or viewed the video themselves.”
Oops.
This was first reported by the Washington Post, and republished by MSN here. But if you think it’ll shut up Trump, the bleating rightwing smear artists, or their sheep followers, you’re wrong. Not a chance. Video proof this was a break-in, not a breakout, means nothing to them, because the facts of what really happened have nothing to do with it.
Some media pundits and Democrats called out Republicans for inciting the attack, they didn’t like it, and this is retaliation. Hitting back at “the libs” is what this is all about.
As we go through life, we’re constantly called on to judge the character of people we encounter or deal with, because trusting the wrong people has consequences. If you get in a car at a party with a drunk driver, you could end up dead. If you trust your savings to a swindler, you’ll lose your money. It’s no different in politics; if you vote for haters and liars, you’ll get what you voted for.
It also occurs to me that if Republicans had valid points of view, they wouldn’t need to resort to lies and smears.
Related story: Elon Musk also promoted this lie (see story here); it’s time for people to walk away from him, too. Somewhat related story: For another example of a rightwing fabrication about Nancy Pelosi, go here.
