Washington Post piece argues against releasing Pelosi attack footage, drawing outrage: 'Stupidly shortsighted'

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Paul Pelosi attacker faces another day in court, officials reviewing security protocols after attack

Fox News’ Claudia Cowan reports on updates in the Paul Pelosi attack as the suspected attacker faces another day in court Friday and officials investigate security failings leading up to the attack.

A Washington Piece analysis piece faced heavy criticism from Twitter users for suggesting that public access to the video surveillance tape from Paul Pelosi’s home intrusion would mostly serve to extend conspiracy theories about the attack.

"Nothing ‘extends a conspiracy’ like total transparency. From the ‘democracy dies in darkness’ crowd it's telling what they will fight to keep in darkness, isn't it?" columnist and podcast host Derek Hunter tweeted.

Independent journalist and podcaster Tim Pool simply replied to the shared story with the words "War is peace," a nod to the notion of "double speak" from the George Orwell novel 1984. 

PAUL PELOSI INVESTIGATION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT DAVID DEPAPE IN ATTACK ON NANCY PELOSI’S HUSBAND

Paul Pelosi Jr. speaks to FBI investigators outside the home of his parents Nancy and Paul Pelosi, Friday October 28, 2022. His father, Paul was the victim of a violent home invasion earlier this morning. (Flightrisk for Fox News Digital)

"This is stupidly short-sighted," Red State senior editor Joe Cunningham chimed in. 

On Wednesday, author Philip Bump claimed that conspiracies about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s, D-Calif., husband spread so quickly for two specific reasons. 

The first is because the attacker allegedly espoused conspiracy theories, such as QAnon, that have often embedded themselves in the political far-right. The second reason is that such conspiracies are "reward mechanisms" for sowing doubt, often harnessed by political actors vying for attention. 

"Suggesting that authorities are lying has been an audience-builder since the days of UFO chatter on AM radio," Bump wrote. "But now it’s also a central component of the right’s worldview. If officials say it, it’s a lie, the thinking goes — particularly if those officials can be in any way tied to the political left."

PAUL PELOSI ATTACKER TOLD INVESTIGATORS HE PLANNED TO BREAK HOUSE SPEAKER'S 'KNEECAPS': AFFIDAVIT

FBI investigators are seen outside the home of Nancy and Paul Pelosi where Paul was the victim of a violent home invasion, Friday October 28, 2022. (Flightrisk for Fox News Digital)

According to Bump's hypothesis on conspiracies, individuals who believe in conspiracies often search for evidence that backs up their internal belief system. Additionally, releasing the Pelosi tape would only serve to heighten the conspiracy, rather than be attributed to authorities dismissing early indicators that later prove to be inaccurate. 

"There’s always some information out there being suspiciously hidden that will prove the conspiracy theory correct. If that information is suppressed, it reinforces the conspiracy theory. If it is released, it becomes evidence that contributes to the conspiracy theory — colored yarn is pinned to it — or attention just turns to some other just-out-of-sight information," Bump added. 

While Bump admits that he too would like to see the Pelosi tapes, as well as body-cam footage from the Capitol riots, the lure of conspiracies is just "too strong," and the public’s understanding of how logic works "too weak." He notes that transparency and more information are good, but only "when considered responsibly."

"The requests for video footage of the Pelosi attack, like the request for footage from the Capitol riot, is not primarily about the footage. It is primarily about using the request for the footage as a way to imply that something is being hidden," he wrote.

David Depape is shown in Berkeley, Calif.,on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. An intruder attacked and severely beat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer in the couple's San Francisco home early Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, while searching for the Democratic leader. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

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Bump defended the article after the Twitter outcry, suggesting its critics hadn't read or understood it.

Officers from the U.S. Capitol Police have live video surveillance outside the Pelosi's San Francisco residence, but weren't watching it when David DePape, 42, allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi.

The officers were monitoring a live-feed of many cameras, which include surveillance of the Capitol complex, but also monitor other points like the Pelosi residence.

Sources tell Fox News that Capitol Police pay less attention to security cameras when one of its protectees is away, and Speaker Pelosi wasn't with her husband in San Francisco at the time. The U.S. Capitol Police have begun an "internal security review" of the incident. 

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.