Former President Donald Trump should be “prosecuted” like a “mob boss” following the attack on Paul Pelosi, husband to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said Saturday.
Pelosi, 82, was allegedly attacked inside his San Francisco home early Friday morning by 42-year-old David DePape, a man who has reportedly espoused right-wing views in the past including Trump’s 2020 election fraud theories. During the attack, he allegedly yelled “Where is Nancy?” Pelosi was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture.
Following the attack, attention turned to rhetoric some Republicans, including Trump, have used against Pelosi in recent weeks—with critics saying the use of violent rhetoric may have contributed to the attack.
Kirschner said Saturday that Trump should face legal consequences for his alleged responsibility in inciting violence, comparing him to a mob boss who hands down orders, but doesn’t commit violence himself.
“If you don’t prosecute the mob bosses and the kingpins—if you leave them in place, they will continue to recruit,” he said. “And that is precisely what Donald Trump has been doing and will continue to do unless and until he is prosecuted.”
Kirschner drew a direct line between the Pelosi attack and January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol building in a failed attempt to force Congress to block President Joe Biden‘s Electoral College victory. Critics and legal experts have accused Trump of encouraging the attack and failing to stop it.
Many of the Capitol rioters have faced prosecution, but Trump has so far avoided criminal charges. However, he remains under investigation and has been subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the insurrection.
Kirschner said Trump will “continue to recruit foot soldiers” if he does not face prosecution.
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“Frankly this ongoing Trump-inspired violence is not a surprise,” he added. “What happened on January 6 and what just happened to Paul Pelosi is exactly what Donald Trump’s language and conduct and behavior is designed to accomplish.”
While Republicans including former Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have condemned the attack on Pelosi, Trump has remained quiet. He has been active on Truth Social however, posting about the Brazilian election and investigations into his conduct as president.
Following the attack, Republicans have faced scrutiny for their rhetoric against the House Speaker. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy previously said “it will be hard not to hit” Nancy Pelosi with the Speaker’s gavel if he assumes the House’s top post after the midterms. Meanwhile, a McCarthy spokesperson told The Hill that he reached out to check on Paul Pelosi and is “praying for a full recovery.”
In addition, other Republicans have used the attack to draw attention to rising crime before the midterms.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s office for comment.
