MPs debating second Conservative motion of non-confidence in PM Trudeau
Members of Parliament are debating the second Conservative motion of non-confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of the week.
The man accused of attacking former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer last year told jurors at his federal trial Tuesday how he went to the Pelosis' San Francisco home as part of a bigger plan to end corruption in the United States.
David DePape spoke for more than an hour in which he tearfully recounted about how his political leanings went from leftist to right-wing after reading a comment on a YouTube video about former President Donald Trump. He did not deny bludgeoning Paul Pelosi, saying he reacted after realizing his larger plan might be unraveling.
DePape has pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official with intent to retaliate against the official for performance of their duties. His attorneys argue that he was not seeking to go after Nancy Pelosi because of her official duties as a member of Congress and so the charges do not fit.
The attack happened in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022, just days before the midterm elections.
DePape said he went to the Pelosis' home to talk to Nancy Pelosi about Russian involvement in the 2016 election, and that he planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and upload his interrogation of her online. Prosecutors say he had rope and zip ties with him.
DePape testified that his plan was to get Nancy Pelosi and other targets to admit to their corruption and eventually get President Joe Bident to pardon them all.
"It's just easier giving them a pardon so we can move forward as a country," he said, crying.
In testimony Monday, Paul Pelosi recounted the attack publicly for the first time. He recalled being awakened by a man bursting into the bedroom door asking, "Where's Nancy?" He said that when he responded that his wife was in Washington, DePape said he would tie him up while they waited for her.
He testified that he was eventually able to call police from his cellphone. When officers arrived, DePape hit him with a hammer, Pelosi said, adding that DePape told him he was going to have "to take you out."
DePape testified that he felt really bad for Pelosi after hearing testimony from a neurosurgeon who operated on him after the attack. Pelosi underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and injuries to his right arm and hands.
"He was never my target and I'm sorry that he got hurt," DePape said.
"I reacted because my plan was basically ruined," he said when asked why he hit Pelosi.
Defense attorney Jodi Linker told jurors last week that DePape believed he was taking action to stop government corruption, the erosion of freedom in the United States, and the abuse of children by politicians and actors.
If convicted, DePape faces life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty to charges in state court of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. A state trial has not been scheduled.
After his arrest, DePape, 43, allegedly told a San Francisco detective that he wanted to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage. He said if she told him the truth, he would let her go and if she lied, he was going to "break her kneecaps" to show other members of Congress there were "consequences to actions," according to prosecutors.
Defense attorneys have listed four other possible witnesses: Daniel Bernal, Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco chief of staff; extremism and antisemitism researcher Elizabeth Yates; federal public defender Catherine Goulet; and one unidentified witness.
Members of Parliament are debating the second Conservative motion of non-confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of the week.
Scammers are increasingly using emails to extort money from victims by threatening to reveal compromising photos, videos and personal information to their friends and family members, according to a new warning from Mounties in Metro Vancouver.
An Air Canada flight headed to Toronto from Frankfurt diverted to Edinburgh due to an emergency Thursday, the airline says.
A partial masking mandate has returned to Nova Scotia hospitals and provincially run healthcare facilities for visitors and healthcare workers.
Canadian singer K’naan has been charged with sexual assault after being arrested by police in Quebec City.
Tropical storm force winds began battering Florida on Thursday as Hurricane Helene prepared to make landfall, with forecasters warning that the enormous storm could create a "nightmare" surge along the coast and churn up damaging winds hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S.
An NDP MP has introduced a bill that would criminalize residential school denialism, saying it would help stop harm caused toward survivors, their families and communities.
A Canadian pharmaceutical company is warning consumers not to use some of its eye drops because of potential microbial growth that may result in eye infections.
Vancouver police blocked traffic and the SkyTrain's Millennium Line suspended service to VCC-Clark Station due to an "unstable crane" in the area Thursday.
Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.
An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.
An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.
Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.
Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.