(The Hill) — The husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Paul Pelosi, has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges.
Paul Pelosi, 82, did not show up in person at Napa County Superior Court on Wednesday and his attorney, Amanda Bevins, entered his not guilty pleas, which is permissible under California law for DUI misdemeanor defendants.
The case was filed as a misdemeanor due to the injuries of the 48-year-old driver of the 2014 Jeep that Paul Pelosi hit while driving his 2021 Porsche. However, the injuries of the Jeep driver were not described and further information on the defendant was not given because of the person’s request for privacy.
Paul Pelosi was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in May while driving late at night in Northern California’s wine country. The incident happened while the speaker was preparing a commencement speech in Rhode Island for Brown University.
Pelosi’s husband was charged with driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher, according to his booking report. He was later released on a $5,000 bail following his arrest.
Law enforcement arrested Paul Pelosi approximately 80 minutes after their arrival at the scene of the accident.
A representative for the speaker’s husband said previously that Paul Pelosi had been at a dinner party until about 10:15 p.m., and then drove the “short distance” home by himself. The representative added that Paul Pelosi was “fully cooperative” with authorities and that processing took until 7:30 a.m. the day following his arrest.
If convicted, Paul Pelosi faces a minimum of five days in jail and up to five years of probation. He would also be required to complete a class on drunk driving and install an ignition interlock device in his vehicle — a breathalyzer that requires the driver to blow into it before operating the vehicle, according to the case’s prosecutors.
The Pelosis have been married since 1963.
The Speaker is traveling in Asia this week, including her controversial trip to Taiwan.