As Townhall reported on Wednesday, Paul Pelosi — husband to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi — was arraigned on two misdemeanor charges related to his DUI crash in May to which Mr. Pelosi plead "not guilty" despite a blood test showing his BAC above California's 0.08 limit, according to court documents.
But on the official charging document filed by Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley, the first count stated:
On or about May 28, 2022, in the County of Napa, State of California, the crime of D.U.I. CAUSING INJURY, in violation of section 23153(a) of the Vehicle Code, a misdemeanor, was committed by PAUL PELOSI, who did unlawfully, while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and a drug and under their combined influence, drive a vehicle and in so driving, concurrently did an act forbidden by law and neglected a duty imposed by law which proximately caused bodily injury to John Doe.
The mention of Mr. Pelosi being "...under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and a drug..." is what raised eyebrows — was Speaker Pelosi's 82-year-old husband doing more than just drinking on the evening he wrecked his Porsche into a Jeep?
Initially, Paul Pelosi's attorney Amanda Bevins said "that the drug reference is part of the statutory boilerplate language in the complaint." Now, the Napa County DA's office is agreeing —verbatim — saying that the line about being "under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and a drug" listed in the complaint "is boilerplate language auto generated in the complaint" and prosecutors' "theory is alcohol" in the case against Pelosi. Some convenient scrambling to correct what was already in the record.
Including "boilerplate" language in a high profile case such as Paul Pelosi's seems to have been a mistake for prosecutors who set off a firestorm of questions about the details of their case against him, especially due to authorities' denials to release additional information in the months between Mr. Pelosi's arrest in May and his arraignment this week.
As Townhall previously noted, authorities have confirmed that there is body and/or dash cam footage from the scene of the crash that has been withheld from the public thus far. Information obtained this week from complaint forms revealed that Mr. Pelosi was slurring his speech, had red and watery eyes, and handed officers his identification along with a membership card for a charity benefitting California Highway Patrol when they arrived on the scene following the collision.
Paul Pelosi's next court date is August 23rd, and Speaker Pelosi's husband faces a potential five days in jail and/or five years of probation.
Napa County Superior Court by Judge Monique Langhorne arraigned Paul Pelosi, husband of House Spkr Nancy Pelosi on DUI charges on DUI charges today. His atty entered a not guilty plea. The case is taken up again on August 23. Could face 5 days in jail/5 yrs probation if convicted
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) August 3, 2022
It still makes no sense why Mr. Pelosi would try to drive himself home after a party when he and his wife's net worth tops $100 million — or how his attempt to present officers with a "get out of jail free" card will play out in the judge's eyes. Knowing he's part of the Pelosi-power-duo he's likely counting on more of the same favorable treatment he sought when he handed his CHP charity membership card to patrolmen on the night of his crash.