Paul Pelosi, the 86-year-old husband of retiring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been formally charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run after allegedly smacking into a parked Tesla with his burgundy Maserati convertible and driving away. As Conservative Brief reported, the Napa County District Attorney's Office announced the charges on Friday, adding an infraction for making an unsafe turning movement for good measure.
The incident took place on July 3 on the 6700 block of Yount Street in Yountville, a quaint little town about 50 miles north of San Francisco. According to authorities, Pelosi allegedly struck the legally parked and unoccupied Tesla around 2:30 p.m., leaving it with major rear damage, and then just kept on rolling. A witness told deputies that the driver briefly stopped before pulling away. Deputies later found Pelosi about a half mile from the scene, where he told officers he intended to return after the collision. Sure, buddy. Just had to run a quick errand first.
The Napa County DA's office made a point of noting that they do not typically issue press releases for misdemeanor hit-and-runs involving only property damage, but made an exception here due to "significant public and media interest." Translation: when a venture capitalist plows his Maserati into a Tesla and flees, people are going to have questions.
The Pelosis released a statement saying, "Mr. Paul Pelosi has personally apologized to the owner of the vehicle and assured them that he would take responsibility for the damage to their vehicle. Speaker Pelosi will not be commenting further on this private matter."
Here is the thing about Paul Pelosi and cars: they have a complicated relationship. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI after a separate crash in Napa County. He got probation, fines, restitution, a DUI education program, and was required to install an ignition interlock device in his vehicle. One would think the ignition interlock device was a strong enough hint from the universe.
But the driving history goes back even further. According to The New York Times, Pelosi was involved in a fatal crash in San Mateo County back in 1957 that killed his 19-year-old brother, though a jury cleared him of any wrongdoing. The Times also reported that Pelosi has racked up multiple driving infractions in recent years across four Bay Area counties, including driving the wrong way on a one-way street, speeding, using a cellphone without a hands-free device, and running a red light. At this point his driving resume reads like a Grand Theft Auto achievement list.
You would think a man worth hundreds of millions of dollars could just hire a driver. A nice town car. Maybe even a golf cart for trips around Yountville. Anything other than personally piloting a Maserati convertible into stationary objects and then leaving the scene like he has somewhere more important to be.
Pelosi is scheduled to appear in Napa County Superior Court on August 14.
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