Journalist Miguel Almaguer has been suspended from the NBC “Today” show after reporting that Paul Pelosi didn’t let on that he was in danger. Almaguer reported that Paul Pelosi phoned 911 but did not declare an emergency. Further, he said police were “seemingly unaware they had been called to the Home of the Speaker of the House.” Pelosi was subsequently attacked with a hammer by David DePape, though some media outlets question the legitimacy of the report as confusion around the event remains.
NY POST: NBC News reporter Miguel Almaguer suspended over retracted Paul Pelosi story
Yaron Steinbuch; November 15, 2022
An NBC “Today” show correspondent has been suspended as the network conducts an investigation into his now-retracted story about the attack on Paul Pelosi.
Journalist Miguel Almaguer has reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband didn’t let on that he was in danger when cops showed up at his San Francisco home right before he was assaulted with a hammer.
The correspondent has been suspended for the erroneous story, the Daily Beast’s Confider newsletter reported.
The now-deleted clip said Paul Pelosi, 82, answered the door for cops who responded to a 911 call, but that they were “seemingly unaware they had been called to the home of the speaker of the House.”
Pelosi didn’t “declare an emergency” or try to leave, but instead walked several feet back into the foyer toward David DePape, who had broken into the home and was carrying a hammer, sources told NBC.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the NBC report said it wasn’t clear what Pelosi’s mental state was or if he had already been hurt.
The report contradicted court documents filed in DePape’s case that said Pelosi “nervously but calmly greeted” officers in a dimly lit foyer where both men stood.
It was later taken down with the explanation: “The piece should not have aired because it did not meet NBC News reporting standards.”
Right-wing media outlets took the report and its retraction as proof of a politically motivated cover-up in the attack, which left Pelosi with a cracked skull.
“We don’t comment on personnel matters,” NBC News rep Stephen Labaton told Confider when questioned about Almaguer, who did not respond to a request for comment by the outlet.
DePape had smashed his way into the home through a rear door looking for the House speaker, who was in Washington, DC.
He was on a “suicide mission” and planned to take Nancy Pelosi hostage and break her kneecaps if she lied to him, he later told prosecutors.
DePape is facing federal and state charges for the alleged attack.
Photo: NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images