House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi declined to answer repeated questions Friday about her husband's pending hit-and-run case before a staffer intervened to end the exchange.
The brief confrontation occurred nearly two weeks after California authorities recommended that Paul Pelosi face a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge tied to a July 3 crash in Yountville.
Napa County Sheriff's Office investigators said the 86-year-old was driving a convertible when it collided with a legally parked, unoccupied Tesla. The impact caused substantial damage to both vehicles.
Witnesses told deputies the car briefly stopped before leaving the area. Paul Pelosi did not call police and was later located about a quarter-mile from the crash site.
Authorities said his vehicle had substantial front-end damage consistent with the collision. Paul reportedly told deputies he knew he had struck something but did not know exactly what he hit.
After completing its investigation, the sheriff's office recommended that the Napa County District Attorney charge him with misdemeanor hit-and-run for allegedly leaving the scene of a property-damage collision. He was not arrested, and prosecutors will make the final determination on charges.
Authorities emphasized that alcohol was not believed to have played a role. A preliminary screening found no alcohol in Paul's system, and no injuries were reported.
The sheriff's office referred him to the California Department of Motor Vehicles for a driving capability evaluation, describing the step as standard procedure for elderly drivers in similar crashes.
The July incident is the latest traffic-related matter involving Paul Pelosi. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence after a Napa County crash that injured another driver.
He was sentenced to three years of probation, ordered to pay more than $6,000 in restitution and fines, and required to complete a DUI education program and install an ignition interlock device for one year.
Later that year, Paul was seriously injured when an intruder broke into the San Francisco home he shares with Nancy Pelosi and struck him with a hammer. The attacker was convicted in federal and state court.
Nancy Pelosi is set to retire at the end of the current Congress in January after nearly four decades in office.
