Elon Musk issues pathetic apology for spreading conspiracy theory that Paul Pelosi is gay
Elon Musk has apologised for sharing a conspiracy theory that Paul Pelosi is gay and his violent attack was a cover up (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Elon Musk has issued a pathetic, half-hearted apology for participating in a baseless conspiracy theory that a violent home invasion at the residence of US politician Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul, was the result of a gay tryst gone wrong.
On 28 October 2022, Paul Pelosi – who has been married to 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi since 1963 – was brutally attacked at the pair’s home Pacific Heights, San Francisco by David DePape.
Police body-camera footage was released on Friday (27 January) and showed the harrowing moment 42-year-old DePape attacked 82-year-old Pelosi with a hammer, resulting in a skull fracture.
It was, however, Pelosi’s wife who was the target of DePape’s break-in and he intended to take her hostage, interrogate her and break her kneecaps because he saw her as “the ‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party”.
In the days following the assault, conspiracy theories began to swirl online that the incident was not an attack by someone radicalised on the web but a Grindr-esque hook-up turned ugly.
Musk has only just (28 January) issued a feeble apology for his part in spreading the falsehood which is still circulating day.
In a reply to Juanita Broaddrick, who accused Bill Clinton of rape, he simply wrote: “Nonetheless, I apologize.”
Conspiracy theorists have claimed that law enforcement, journalists and the Democratic Party are all complicit covering up the ‘real story’ by staging the incident as an politically-motivated attack – which back in October could be used to help the Democrats win the midterm elections.
The conspiracy theory was given further weight when business magnate Musk shared an article purporting the bizarre, homophobic claims.
Musk’s now-deleted tweet arose when he responded to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton when she tweeted out a Los Angeles Times story about how David DePape, the suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi, had spread far-right conspiracy theories.
Clinton tweeted the link to that story along with the message: “The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result. As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.”
Musk responded by linking a story from the Santa Monica Observer – a right-wing weekly newspaper which has reportedly shared misinformation in the past – which questioned the chain of events at the Pelosi residence.
“There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye,” he wrote.
Prior to deleting the tweet, it was retweeted more than 24,000 times had had around 80,000 likes.
Despite the violent video footage of the event now in the public domain, many conspiracy theorists are continuing to use it to justify their twisted beliefs.
Many internet trolls have noted Pelosi was not wearing trousers in the footage, asserting that this means he was engaged in sexual activity rather than sleeping.
