Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has apologized to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over comments he made last month after her husband was attacked with a hammer at their San Francisco house, putting the 82-year-old in a hospital with a fractured skull and other injuries.
In a statement provided to WTOP by his spokeswoman, Youngkin said, “My full intention on my comments was to categorically state that violence and the kind of violence that was perpetrated against Speaker Pelosi’s husband is not just unacceptable, it’s atrocious.
And I didn’t do a great job with that. And so listen, it was a personal note and it was one between me and the speaker, just to reflect those sentiments.”
On Oct. 28, the day of the attack, Youngkin, speaking at a Yesli Vega rally, said, “There’s no room for violence anywhere, but we’re going to send [Pelosi] back to be with him in California.”
The remark drew laughs from the crowd but was quickly condemned — mostly by Democrats — as insensitive and an insufficient condemnation of the violence.
Youngkin initially declined to say he regretted the remarks when pressed on the matter in a TV interview.
Law enforcement officers who responded to the Oct. 28 break-in witnessed the 82-year-old being struck in the head with the hammer at least once, according to court documents. Paul Pelosi was released from the hospital last week. The suspect, David DePape, faces numerous charges, including attempted murder and attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official.
A spokesperson for Pelosi confirmed Youngkin sent a letter to the House Speaker.
The apology was first reported by Punchbowl News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
