>> I'm so sorry for all that has
happened.
How is your husband doing and
what does his recovery look
like?
>> Well, thank you.
It's a long haul but he knows he
has to pace himself.
He's just as gentleman that he's
not complaining about he's also
knowing that it's a long haul.
He's so concerned about the
trawmentic effect on our
children and our grandchildren.
And we're concerned about the
traumatic effect on him.
But, again, he's on a good path
with excellent care from
San Francisco general and his
healthcare providers.
>> Has he been able to talk to
you about what he was thinking
when he woke up and found this
person in the room?
>> We haven't quite had that
conversation because any
revisiting of it is really
traumatizing.
It was hard, and one of the
hardest things all week was to
go back into the house for him,
and the entrance, which is of
course where --
>> Where the attack took place.
>> And of course upstairs in the
bedroom where that person made
his entrance, shall we say.
But so we haven't -- and the
doctors have said, you know, we
don't want them to watch the
news, we don't want him to be
revisiting a lot of this at
least not now, and the operation
was a success but it's only one
part of the recovery.
A drastic head injury, it takes
some time.
>> Have you been able to listen
to the 911 call?
>> No.
I haven't been able to listen to
that or the body cam, any of
that, no.
I imagine once it's in the
public domain is when I will
have a chance to see it, but
even then --
>> Do you want to hear it?
>> I don't think so.
I don't think so.
But I don't know if I'll have
to. I just don't know if that's all
a matter the legal side of
things. >> There are obviously -- a lot
of details in the affidavit.
Had your husband not had the
presence of mind to call 911 and
be able to call 911, there's no
telling what would have
happened.
>> Well, he was cool.
Paul is cool.
He called and -- with enough
information, but not too much
information because the guy was
very threatening.
He was very big.
I don't know if you can see
that.
He's very big.
6'4, 260.
>> The assailant?
>> The assailant.
And he was right there, you
know, just like a few feet away
from Paul hearing all this.
And he saved his life, Paul
saved his own life with that
call.
Because that really gave enough
information to go --
>> Had the 911 prater not
been --Ed op prater not have
figured it out.
>> God bless her, yeah, for that
and it took from one person to
another and then the police
came.
>> Where were you when you got
the news?
>> Well, I was sleeping in
Washington D.C. I had just gotten in the night
before.
From San Francisco.
And the -- I hear the doorbell
ring and it's 5-something.
I think it must be the wrong
apartment.
It rings again and then bang,
bang, bang on the door.
So I run to the door.
And I'm very scared.
I see the capitol police and
they said we have to come in to
talk to you.
I'm thinking my children, my
grandchildren.
I never thought it would be Paul
because, you know, I knew he
wouldn't be out and about, shall
we say.
And so they came in at that
time, we didn't even know where
he was or what his condition
was. We just knew there was an
assault on him in our home, and
now they were taking him to a
hospital, which turned out to be
San Francisco general, which is
the -- we have hospitals two
blocks away.
It wasn't the closest, but it
was the right place to go for
that.
>> He was actually struck in the
head with the hammer.
>> On the top in two places.
And that's pretty awful.
That's pretty awful.
But the good news was when he
came -- when he had the
operation and we were blessed by
them -- the healthcare
professionals at San Francisco
general, they told us it had not
pierced his brain, which was --
could be deadly or worse.
>> So the hammer had not
actually cracked --
>> It had cracked.
What they have to do is take off
the skull, reshape it and put it
back so it isn't scratched or
pierce the brain.
So it's pretty serious
operation.
>> There's always concern about
swelling also in the brain.
>> There's always concern of
hematomas, all the rest of that.
But my son Paul told me that
when -- I got on the plane right
away to come to California, but
he was now out of the operation.
And Paul said mommy's on her way
here.
And Paul said -- the first thing
he said, oh, your mother's gonna
be very happy because the rains
won last night.
>> That's what your husband
said, the ravens won last night.
>> Yeah, my Baltimore
connection.
So we thought, well, okay, he'ss
with it.
You know, he remembers the game,
and obviously knows my -- after
the 49ers -- by dedication to
the ravens.
>> You were the intended target.
The assailant has told police,
it's in a sworn affidavit, that
he wanted to take you hostage
and interrogate you, break your
kneecaps with a hammer if you
didn't give him the answers that
he wanted.
>> For me, this is really the
hard part because Paul was not
the target, and he's the one who
paying the price.
I mean, we all are, but he's the
one who's really paying the
price.
But it really -- it's really sad
because it is a flame that was
fueled by misinformation and all
the rest of that, which is most
unfortunate, it has no place in
our democracy.
>> President Biden drew a line
between what happened on January
6th and the attack on your
husband.
The president said, I quote, the
say label -- assailant entered
the home asking where's Nancy,
where's Nancy, those are the
very same words they used in the
mob on January 6th.
>> Do you draw the same line?
>> Absolutely.
No question.
It's the same thing.
Copycatter, whatever it happens
to be, inflamed by the same
misrepresentation.
But the fact is right now it's
time for healing.
We want the country to heal.
This is not a path that we can
continue on.
And we want people to run for
office local in every way, and
you can't say to them you're
risking the safety of your
families by going forward.
There are no guarantees of
safety.
I'm very pleased that in August
we were able to reach a place
where the sergeant arms informed
the members of the house noun
they had would have $10,000
to -- have the capitol police
come and evaluate what their
needs were to make their homes
safer, because there was the
recognition, we're gone, our
families are home and, you know,
that's scary, or even if we are
home. So we recognize that.
It was figured that amount of
money could do what it needed to
do in homes.
>> You have a lord security
detail, you have great
protection around you.
If this can happen to someone in
your family, it can that any
member of congress' family.
>> That's right.
>> How does -- no amount of
security will stop that, how
does this stop, how does this
not happen again?
>> Well, you would think that
there would be some level of
responsibility, but you see what
the reaction is on the other
side to make a joke of it and
really that is traumatizing too.
But nonetheless forgetting them,
but there has to be some healing
process and Democrats and
Republicans, you know, member of
congress, anybody could be a
target.
And we can't -- there's no
guarantee.
But we can -- in our democracy
there is one party that is
doubting the outcome of the
election, feeding that flame,
and mocking any violence that
happens.
That has to stop.
>> The former president of the
United States Donald Trump, Elon
Musk, others have spread stories
casting doubt on what happened,
fomenting conspiracy theories
do you have to say to them?
>> It's really sad for the
country.
It's really sad for the country
that people of that high
visibility would separate
themselves from the facts and
the truth in such a blatant way.
It's really sad, and it is
traumatizing to those affected
by it, they don't care about
that, obviously.
But it is -- it's destructive to
the unity that we want to have
in our country.
But I don't have anything to sty
that.
I mean, we have nothing -- there
would be no common ground to
have any conversation about
that.
>> Is there enough common ground
as Americans to try to bridge
this divide?
>> Yes.
>> And lower the temperature?
>> Yes.
>> Because, I mean, people on
all sides would agree that it
does not seem sustainable.
>> No, I completely agree with
you, but I wouldn't say on all
sides because in fact this is a
one-sided assault on our
democracy, an assault on the
credibility and integrity of our
elections and the rest.
There has to be some adult
supervision on the Republican
side in order to say enough.
Enough.
We know a strong Republican
party in our country.
I've said that over and over
again.
>> You want a strong Republican
party?
>> Absolutely.
G.O.P., strong Republican party
for our country and they should
take pride in that instead of
yielding to a cult, to a thug,
actually, the way I see it.
But nonetheless, really to stay
with the healing part of it, I
think that prayers.
I mean, we have been receiving
so many prayers, thousands of
well-wishers can prayers for
Paul's healing.
And I think prayers are unifying
for us.
I also think that there are
enough people who while they may
legitimately be Republicans, and
I respect that -- are not a
party to feeding flaism violence
and disunity in our country.
Let me just say that it's about
time. You know, it's time for healing.
As ecclesiastics says, there's a
time for everything and this is
a time long overdue for healing
to do so in a prayerful and
respectful way, to do so open to
hearing each other about the
future of our country.
I do believe that our democracy
is in danger because of what the
overnights are saying about
undermining elections, even now
as we go forward.
I think that if enough people in
our country are aware of what
that challenge is, it might
change, hey if you're on the
other side.
But I do think a great deal of
the healing has to come within
the Republican party itself.
And it's not up to me to tell
them thousand shape themselves.
But, again, it is to have them
take pride in what they have
been and what they have done for
our country.
>> If the former president
Donald Trump runs again, do you
think that healing is possible?
>> I really am just in a place
where I'm not ready to talk
about what comes next.
Tomorrow is a very big day for
our country, our democracy is on
the ballot, our planet is on the
ballot, our values are on the
ballot.
>> How concerned are you about
tomorrow?
>> As I said, I have heard there
at least 50 of our candidates in
races that are, shall we say in
some view, too close to call,
and I feel optimistic.
Just depends on turn-out.
And I'm a former party chair and
I'm always about owning the
ground and getting out the vote
and I feel confident that we're
in that position.
The races are close.