San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she will not make the 911 call or police body cam footage from the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi available to the press any time soon. And, citing San Francisco's status as a sanctuary city, she also won't turn suspect and illegal alien David DePape over to immigration authorities.
Asked by CNN whether there is a "public interest" in releasing these materials, Jenkins said she is focusing on protecting the investigation and the success of the prosecution of the alleged attacker.
"For us, revealing that evidence through the media is just not what we think is appropriate. We want to make sure that this individual is held accountable for these egregious acts. For us, we’re going to make sure that we limit the evidence as much as possible in order to get that done," Jenkins said.
Critics have questioned the decision to withhold the police body cam footage, citing the San Francisco Police Department's stated "commitment to transparency" and several other instances where body cam video was released soon after violent crimes.
Meanwhile, Jenkins is also refusing to turn the 42-year-old DePape, who is in the country illegally, over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), citing San Francisco's sanctuary city policies which ban departments and officials from cooperating with immigration officers with detentions or deportations.
After ICE publicly disclosed it had a hold on DePape, Jenkins said “San Francisco is a sanctuary city and our policy is sacred. We will not be collaborating or coordinating with ICE.”
Jenkins further justified the move by saying that DePape “is facing life in prison.”
DePape has been charged in San Francisco and federal court with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, residential burglary, false imprisonment of an elder, elder abuse, and threats to a public official and her family. He has pleaded "not guilty."
If local law enforcement complied with the ICE hold, DePape would be turned over to ICE and possibly sent back to Canada after his criminal cases concluded.
Jenkins alleged that, on the night of Oct. 28, DePape broke in through a rear glass door and snuck into the bedroom where 82-year-old Paul Pelosi was sleeping. There was no security present at the time.
The narrative of the Pelosi attack has been met with some skepticism and speculation, particularly after NBC deleted a video report which revealed that when police arrived Pelosi did not "immediately declare an emergency" or attempt to leave the residence.
FYI: Sources in ICE tell me that San Francisco is not allowing officers to interview Paul Pelosi's attacker, David DePape; i.e., Dems and @SFPD are siding with the alleged attacker. ICE routinely interviews jailed aliens to determine appropriate next steps, background, etc.🧵... pic.twitter.com/R9raF1yUDR
— Jon Feere 🇺🇸 (@JonFeere) November 6, 2022
Free Press International
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