US House Speaker Pelosi's husband violently assaulted

'The assailant is in custody and the motivation for the attack is under investigation,' the statement said

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul, was "violently assaulted" by an assailant who broke into their San Francisco home early Friday, and he is now in the hospital and expected to make a full recovery, her spokesman said.

Pelosi was not in the residence at the time. Spokesman Drew Hammill said the assailant is in custody and the motivation for the attack is under investigation.

"The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time," Hammill said in a statement.

Pelosi just returned to Washington this week from a security conference in Europe and is due to keynote an advocacy event Saturday evening with Vice President Kamala Harris.

While the circumstances of the attack are unclear, the incident raises additional questions about the safety of members of Congress and their families as threats to lawmakers are at an all-time high almost two years after the violent Capitol insurrection.

Members of Congress have received additional dollars for security at their homes, but some have pushed for more protection as people have shown up at their homes and as members have received an increasing amount of threatening communications.

Often at Pelosi's side during formal events in Washington, Paul Pelosi, 82, is a wealthy investor who largely remains on the West Coast. They have five adult children and many grandchildren.

Earlier this year, Paul Pelosi pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges related to a May crash in California's wine country and was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation.