Report: NBC Suspends Reporter Over Coverage of Paul Pelosi Attack

NBC News suspended correspondent Miguel Almaguer, the Daily Beast reported Monday, after he reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D., Calif.) husband Paul Pelosi was not in danger when police arrived at his home following a break-in last month.

“After a ‘knock and announce,’ the front door was opened by Mr. Pelosi. The 82-year-old did not immediately declare an emergency or tried to leave his home but instead began walking several feet back into the foyer toward the assailant and away from police,” Almaguer said in his Nov. 4 report. “It’s unclear if the 82-year-old was already injured or what his mental state was, say sources.”

Almaguer’s account of the events contradicted official statements made by police, who said officers arrived to find Paul Pelosi in a struggle with assailant David DePape, who struck him in the head with a hammer. NBC News retracted Almaguer’s report and removed video of it, saying the piece was “removed from publication because it did not meet NBC News reporting standards.”

The retracted report from Almaguer fueled public speculation that DePape might have been an acquaintance of Paul Pelosi. DePape allegedly told police, however, that he was on a “suicide mission” and planned to target Nancy Pelosi and other government officials, not Paul Pelosi.

NBC News is conducting an internal investigation into Almaguer’s retracted reporting, according to the Daily Beast.

Ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats seized on the attack on Paul Pelosi as evidence of the danger of Republicans’ rhetoric, even though DePape, a nudist protester and illegal immigrant from Canada living in Berkeley, did not fit the typical conservative mold. The 2022 election cycle also saw several attacks on Republican candidates and staff, including Rep. Lee Zeldin (N.Y.) and a canvasser for Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.).

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