NBC News retracts stunning report on Paul Pelosi attack
NBC News went viral with an explosive report about what allegedly transpired when police responded to the attack on Paul Pelosi but the network's retraction is fueling even more questions.
NBC News correspondent Miguel Almaguer still has not appeared on air since his Nov. 4 report was retracted without explanation after it suggested Paul Pelosi may not have been in immediate danger when police arrived the night he was assaulted in the San Francisco home he shares with his wife, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Almaguer, a Los Angeles-based correspondent, is typically a fixture on NBC’s "Today" and "NBC Nightly News," but was reportedly suspended when his stunning report was mysteriously retracted without explanation.
David DePape allegedly broke into Pelosi's San Francisco home around 2 a.m. Oct. 28, snuck into the master bedroom and found Paul Pelosi asleep. He is accused of demanding to know the House speaker’s whereabouts and threatening to break her kneecaps with a hammer – but she was in Washington, D.C., at the time.
NBC viewers haven’t seen Miguel Almaguer since his Paul Pelosi report was mysteriously retracted without clarification on Nov. 4. (Screenshot/NBC News)
NANCY PELOSI HUSBAND ATTACK SUSPECT DAVID DEPAPE PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES
Almaguer reported Paul Pelosi opened the door himself but didn’t attempt to escape or declare an emergency before walking away from cops and back toward alleged the attacker. Almaguer also put a spotlight on what Pelosi and DePape were doing for roughly 30 minutes before police arrived, which nobody seems to know.
NBC News retracted the shocking report by that afternoon as it began to go viral, scrubbing it from the internet in the process.
Almaguer’s report seemed to coincide with theories that key details are being withheld from the public. For nearly a month, NBC News has refused to explain what was wrong about Almaguer’s report aside from a vague line that it didn’t meet company standards. NBC News hasn’t even admitted Almaguer is suspended with an on-the-record statement.
(Left) Paul Pelosi and Nancy Pelosi attend the Pre-GRAMMY Gala. (Right) David DePape. (Michael Short/ San Francisco Chronicle )
As of Monday morning, Almaguer had not tweeted since Nov. 3, either.
NBC News did not immediately respond to a series of questions, including if Almaguer will return and what was wrong with his since-retracted report.
Almaguer posted on Instagram last week, indicating he spent Thanksgiving in Barcelona, Spain.
Almaguer did not respond to a request for comment and his agent declined to speak "on client matters."
An NBC News insider previously told Fox News Digital that the word inside Rockefeller Center is that Almaguer's source was "biased," while others feel the report was halted because it didn’t align with the mainstream narrative. However, a separate report on NBC’s local affiliate in San Francisco has since reported many of the same details that landed Almaguer in hot water.
"I think they had different sources," an NBC Bay Area source told Fox News Digital.
DePape, 42, faces federal charges of assaulting an immediate family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal officer for the alleged home invasion attack that sent Paul Pelosi, 82, to the hospital for emergency surgery on a skull fracture.
The charges carry 30- and 20-year prison terms, respectively, if he is convicted. He also faces state charges that carry penalties of up to life in prison if convicted.
Pelosi was treated for a skull fracture and injuries to his arms and hands.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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