Following Paul Pelosi's guilty plea in his Napa County DUI case, authorities released dash cam video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband attempting a field sobriety test after he wrecked his Porsche into another vehicle in late May. Notably, we now have audio of Pelosi declaring he's a "high-profile person" to officers along with a claim that he only had two drinks earlier in the evening of his crash.
In the video, authorities can be heard off-camera discussing the smell of alcohol emanating from Mr. Pelosi and then beginning their interview of him following the crash. They ask him when he last slept, ate, and confirmed that Pelosi was driving the vehicle.
Pelosi mentions that he had something to drink, and again told officers that he had consumed wine and champagne earlier in the evening between 7 and 8 p.m. In his answers, Paul Pelosi seems to have trouble answering questions and his speech sounds slurred, as the previously released court documents explained. Pelosi was also asked whether he bumped his head at all prior to the crash or had consumed any medicine or drugs that would alter his ability to drive in the hours leading up to the crash.
Then, appearing at the edge of the dash cam's frame, officers begin administering field sobriety tests to Pelosi and things... do not go well.
An officer begins by asking Pelosi to follow the officer's finger tip with his eyes. An officer points out that Pelosi and the other driver were "lucky" the crash wasn't worse before giving Pelosi instructions to do a test of his "internal clock" that involved standing, looking up at the sky, closing his eyes, waiting for an estimated 30 seconds, and then saying "stop." According to the officer's stated response, Pelosi was "actually really spot-on" with estimating 30 seconds of time.
The officer then asks whether Pelosi is physically able to stand on one leg before the officer gives instructions for how to do the balance test while voicing concerns that Pelosi will fall and injure himself. Pelosi tries bracing himself against the patrol car, which the officer notes defeats the purpose of the test. The officer then gives Pelosi the option for a practice run of the test, but Pelosi continues asking if he can lean against the police vehicle.
FIRST ON FOX: Moment Paul Pelosi attempts balance test after crashing $100K+ Porsche. https://t.co/2y03X6YaVS pic.twitter.com/ZMCafTjDYv
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 23, 2022
Pelosi is "pretty shaky," while standing without leaning on the vehicle according to the officer, and they decide to substitute the balance test to avoid the possibility of injury since it seems fairly obvious that Pelosi would topple if he tried to raise his foot and balance on one leg.
The replacement test, the officer explains, is for Pelosi to count out loud while touching each of his fingertips to his thumb, one to five, then five to one, then one to five again. On the video, Pelosi can be heard starting to count before trailing off.
The officer then requests that Pelosi take a preliminary breathalyzer test and explains the conditions for Pelosi's decision. Pelosi says he wants to go home, to which the officer again explains that he can smell alcohol on Pelosi, he's unsteady, and is not simply going to go home without consequence. Still, Pelosi declines to submit to the breathalyzer test.
"I'm a high-profile person," Pelosi tries explaining to the officer. He responds "I understand who you are and I'm not here to try to do anything to draw any negative attention to you. If you've been honest with me there's really nothing to be worried about in terms of the alcohol you've consumed... being only two glasses of alcohol," the officer added.
Paul Pelosi Dashcam Footage RELEASED! Watch it HERE #FoxNews pic.twitter.com/Y5j8HJFiEk
— Jesse Watters Primetime (@jesseprimetime) August 23, 2022
Officers can be heard discussing the evidence against Pelosi and the "totality" of his red flags: unsteady on his feet while "constantly grabbing onto the patrol car just to keep his balance," slurred speech, reeking of alcohol, and a refusal to submit to a preliminary breathalyzer test. After minutes without much action, Pelosi can be heard explaining that his wife, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is on the East Coast and he doesn't have any family nearby.
The events after the dash cam video ends at the scene are already known: Pelosi was taken to a local hospital to have any injuries looked at — Pelosi suffered several bruises in the crash — before he was taken to a Napa County jail and a blood test showed his BAC at .082 percent, just barely over the legal limit at that point long after the crash occurred. Ostensibly, Pelosi's BAC would not have been over the legal limit hours after a crash that saw authorities on the scene in the 11:00 p.m. hour if Pelosi, as he claimed, had only consumed a few drinks between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Pelosi's plea deal on Tuesday saw him sentenced to five days jail time, four of which were credited for time served and conduct, with the final day to be served with a mere 8 hours of work for his decision to drive drunk that could have killed himself or others. Mr. Nancy Pelosi will also be on probation for three years, have to take a three-month course on the dangers of drinking and driving, have an ignition interlock on his car for one year, and pay restitution via fines.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member