Elon Musk has apologized. After bodycam footage released Friday showed the attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, in his home in October, the Twitter CEO said he was sorry for a controversial tweet he posted about the incident.
In that tweet, Musk linked to a Santa Monica Observer article claiming that, at the time of the attack, an inebriated Paul Pelosi had been arguing with a male escort. He wrote, “There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye.”
NBC Bay Area reporter Bigad Shaban first obtained the footage, which shows police arriving at the Pelosi residence—and David DePape bashing Paul Pelosi over the head with a hammer. Pelosi has recovered from a fractured skull, while DePape is charged with attempted murder and other crimes.
#EXCLUSIVE
Just released police body camera video shows moments David DePape attacked Paul Pelosi at his# San Francisco homeWARNING: VIDEO IS GRAPHIC#PaulPelosi #BREAKING@Nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/rQZriBvOCm
— Bigad Shaban (@BigadShaban) January 27, 2023
Following the release of the footage on Friday, calls for Musk to apologize grew louder. Former GOP House lawmaker Adam Kinzinger, for example, tweeted, “Hey @elonmusk care to react to the Pelosi video? You spread the big conspiracy…”
Stephanie Ruhle, who hosts The 11th Hour on MSNBC, tweeted on Saturday, “This would be a perfect moment for @elonmusk to apologize to the Pelosi family- I can’t think of a more impactful time for him to use his power, influence and platform to express contrition & compassion.”
Musk replied to that, stating, “I did.”
He pointed to a reply he made to another Twitter user who wrote: “Idiots on the left want @elonmusk to apologize to the Pelosis. For what? It is still a questionable and bizarre situation between two men in their underwear.”
Musk wrote in response to that, “Nonetheless, I apologize.”
Kinzinger, meanwhile, thanked the Seattle Times for listing high-profile conservatives “who made fun of Paul Pelosi,” adding, “Hold them accountable.” Among those listed were Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Former president Donald Trump also chimed in on the attack during an interview on the Chris Stigall Podcast last year. Referring to Pelosi house, he said, “The glass it seems was broken from the inside to the out, so it wasn’t a break in, it was a break out.” That followed him saying, “Well, it’s weird things going on in that household in the last couple of weeks.”
Musk deleted his October tweet about the attack shortly after posting it, prompting one Twitter user to reply, “Never cave to the leftist mob. NEVER!”
But the tweet, which came just days after he finally acquired Twitter after a drawn-out legal battle, deepened the uncertainty about how he would change the social network, with many advertisers pulling back.
On Thursday, Musk tweeted that he’d met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to “discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties.”
