SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom has partly blamed Fox News and other conservative media for throwing gas on the fire of political extremism, fueling a culture which resulted in the attack on Paul Pelosi in San Francisco last week.
Newsom made the comments in an interview with CBS News which will air on Tuesday night.
"I've seen the dehumanization of Nancy Pelosi," Newsom told the outlet. "I don't think anyone's been dehumanized like she has consistently. Now I watched this one guy, Jesse Watters or something on Fox News. What he's been saying about Paul Pelosi the last five, six months, mocking him consistently. Don't tell me that's not aiding and abetting all this. Of course it is."
Pelosi's husband was brutally attacked with a hammer by an intruder at his Pacific Heights home early Friday morning. Paul Pelosi underwent surgery for a fractured skull and other injuries following the assault. The Speaker’s office said he was making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process.”
The suspect, 42-year-old David DePape, is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
DePape told federal investigators that he wanted to speak with Speaker Pelosi and viewed her as the "leader of the pack of lies told by the Democratic Party," according to the complaint. If she told the "truth," he would let her go, but if she "lied," she would break her kneecaps, forcing her to be wheeled into Congress to show other members "there were consequences to actions."
"(Right-wing media is) sowing the seeds, creating a culture and a climate like this," Newsom said. "I mean, look online. Look at the sewage that is online that they amplify on these networks and in social media to dehumanize people like Nancy Pelosi and other political leaders."
The governor added that he knows first hand what the venom feels like.
"I know what over the last three years has come in my inbox," he said. "Trust me, you don't, because I'm not sharing it. I don't even share it with my wife. I got four kids. So I know a little bit about this. I mean, it wasn't just a recall against me. It was surround sound in every way, shape or form."
"Look, there's always folks in the extreme and you roll your eyes. This is — something is different here. There's, you know, the mind is being stretched. People feel free to shove again."
Watters did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment, but in his show on Monday blamed Newsom and Democratic policies for allowing the DePape to be out on the streets.
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