The man accused of beating U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer during a struggle in the couple's San Francisco home was due to make his first court appearance on Tuesday.
At the hearing David Wayne DePape, 42, will be advised of the state charges against him: attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, elder abuse and threatening a public official.
Paul Pelosi, 82, a real estate and venture capital executive, has undergone surgery for skull fractures and injuries to his hands and right arm. He remained hospitalized on Tuesday.
After breaking into the couple's home, DePape threatened to take Nancy Pelosi hostage and break her kneecaps if she lied under his questioning, according to a federal criminal complaint filed on Monday. She was in Washington at the time.
"Paul is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process," Nancy Pelosi, who is also 82, said in a statement on Monday.
It was unclear whether DePape had retained a lawyer or would be in court or on a video link from jail or a local hospital for the arraignment.
Federal prosecutors have charged him separately with assault and attempted kidnapping. He was yet to be scheduled for a court appearance in that case.
The attack has stoked fears about politically motivated violence one week before midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.
On Tuesday, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement: "We believe today's political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for Members of Congress."
DePape was arrested by San Francisco police after Paul Pelosi placed an emergency 911 call reporting an intruder, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the federal case.
Officers recovered zip ties in the bedroom and in the hallway near the front door as well as a roll of tape, rope, a second hammer, a pair of gloves and a journal in DePape's backpack, the affidavit said. The intruder had broken in through a glass door to the residence.
The state charges are punishable by a prison sentence of 13 years to life. The federal charges carry a combined maximum sentence of 50 years, the Justice Department said in a statement announcing the charges.
