Nancy Pelosi stands down as leader of US House Democrats

Nancy Pelosi stands down as leader of US House Democrats
Published 32 minutes ago
By Sam Cabral
BBC News, Washington

Nancy Pelosi, who has led Democrats in the US House of Representatives for almost two decades, has announced she is standing down from the role.

The 82-year-old is the most powerful Democrat in Congress and the first woman to serve as speaker of the House.

She will continue to represent her California district in the lower chamber of Congress.

It comes as Republicans are projected to take back control of the House following the midterm elections.

Republican Kevin McCarthy has won the party's nomination to be speaker in the new Congress and is likely to succeed Mrs Pelosi.

"I never would have thought that someday I would go from homemaker to House speaker," Mrs Pelosi said in a statement in the chamber on Thursday.

"I will not seek re-election to Democratic leadership in the next Congress. The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus," she said.

Mrs Pelosi will serve as speaker until January when a new Congress takes over, and will remain in the seat she first took up in 1987 until January 2025.

New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries is widely expected to take up the top Democratic leadership post in the House, which would make him the first black congressional leader in US history.

Speaker of the House is the one congressional job detailed in the US Constitution. After the vice-president, it is next in line to the presidency.

The speaker and their deputies and committee chairs determine what bills are considered and voted on. They set the agenda and decide the rules governing debate.

Mrs Pelosi became minority leader, the title held by the person leading the opposition in the House, in 2003. The Democrats then took control of the House for the first time in more than a decade in 2006, and she became the first woman to lead a major party in either chamber of Congress.

Mrs Pelosi became minority leader again four years later but returned to the speaker's chair in 2018.

An invaluable asset and a lightning rod
Analysis box by Anthony Zurcher, North America reporter

The first woman to lead a major party in either chamber of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi will also go down in history as one of the most effective - an invaluable asset for Democrats and a formidable opponent for Republicans.

Her legislative acumen, her ability to keep a restless party united when it matters, and her instinct for political theatre have made her a force on Capitol Hill, as well as a lightning rod for criticism from her detractors.

She wasn't the most telegenic Democratic leader. Her speeches and press conference were hardly inspirational. But her ability to keep her fractious and often slim majority in the chamber together on key votes had few rivals.

Her political instincts were invariably sound, and her sense of legislative timing - when to push and when to wait and what it would take to win a vote - was impeccable. And she did it in an era where the House leadership had incentives, such as earmarked spending authorisations, to keep recalcitrant back-benchers in line.

Her strength has come at a price, however. It is in part because of these abilities that she became a hobgoblin of the right - a villain whose name or imagine headlined countless fundraising pitches and political adverts.

During the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed through the Capitol building in search of the speaker and were photographed trashing her office and placing their feet on her desk.

The duration and depth of her grip on House Democrats, stretching over two decades, has also stunted the growth of younger leaders within the chamber, who have waited years to have their chance to move up in the party's command structure. Now, at last, they may get their chance. But they will have large shoes to fill.

As speaker, Mrs Pelosi played a critical role in advancing - or thwarting - the agendas of multiple presidents.

She is widely credited with marshalling the passage of former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare legislation, as well as bills to address infrastructure and climate change under incumbent President Joe Biden.

Mrs Pelosi also directly challenged Donald Trump throughout his presidency, famously ripping up a copy of his State of the Union address behind his back.

Rumours around her future had swirled in the aftermath of a violent break-in at her home last month that left her husband Paul, 82, in need of skull surgery.

Lawmakers gave her a standing ovation on Thursday as she thanked them for their prayers and spoke of her "beloved partner in life and my pillar of support".

John Lawrence, a former chief of staff to Mrs Pelosi, told the BBC he expected her to play an important role in counselling new members of Congress and working with the White House now that Democrats were in the minority again.

"There's never really a good time to leave," he said. "When you're in the ascendancy, you want to accomplish a great deal, and when things are going against you, you want to fight back."

In a statement on Thursday, President Biden called Mrs Pelosi "the most consequential speaker of the House of Representatives in our history".

Additional reporting by Samantha Granville

Nancy Pelosi Staffer Called Out For ‘Abuse’ After Insulting Reporter’s Story
Walsh Martin, November 17, 2022

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Thursday that she will not seek re-election as the top Democrat in the House but will remain in Congress. Pelosi made the announcement from the House floor in a speech.

“For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect,” said Pelosi.

Prior to Pelosi’s speech on Wednesday, a report from Puck News stated that Pelosi will not serve as the House minority leader but remain in Congress.

Sometime around noon, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will walk out onto the House floor to take her final bow after 19 years as head of the Democratic caucus with a speech about passing the torch from one generation to the next, I’m told. But instead of riding high into retirement, as has long been assumed, or becoming ambassador to Italy—a diplomatic posting the White House has been holding open for her—Pelosi will announce that she plans to stay in Congress as a backbencher, roaming the halls in a sort of emeritus role and helping to guide Democrats through their turn in the minority.

The decision to step down from leadership was reached over the weekend, as I reported on Monday after Pelosi crafted a retirement speech with the help of the celebrity historian and presidential biographer Jon Meacham, a favorite of the Democratic elite, including Joe Biden, for exactly these types of moments. I was told there were multiple drafts of the speech, signifying Pelosi’s indecision and the fluidity of the midterm election results.

The drama didn’t stop there as Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, has been accused of “abusing” reporter Tara Palmeri for her report — which turned out to be accurate.

Mediaite reported:

Hours before Pelosi’s speech, Palmeri released a story saying, “Pelosi will announce that she plans to stay in Congress as a backbencher, roaming the halls in a sort of emeritus role and helping to guide Democrats through their turn in the minority.” This was preceded by Palmeri’s earlier reporting that Hakeem Jeffries is likely to be chosen as the next Democratic House leader.

Palmeri’s story on the leadership shift included a quote from Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, who flatly denied that the House speaker had made a definite choice.

“Nothing in this reporting is correct,” said Hammill. “As the Speaker just stated yesterday on national TV, she will make a decision once all the votes have been counted. She’s not even thinking about her future at this moment.”

Beyond the quote in Palmeri’s story, Hammill got on Twitter in the last few days to attack her reporting and say she “has zero sourcing in Pelosi world but is constantly trying to break news.”

He continued this diatribe by saying, “I don’t know who reads Puck, let alone pays for it, but I wanted to get ahead of Tara Palmeri’s latest typo-ridden Pelosi scoop to let everyone know that it’s complete trash just like the last ones. That’s all.”

The Speaker has not made a decision about her future. As the Speaker just stated yesterday on national TV, she will make a decision once all the votes have been counted. She’s not even thinking about her future at this moment.

— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) November 14, 2022

I don't know who reads @PuckNews let alone pays for it, but I wanted to get ahead of @tarapalmeri's latest typo-ridden Pelosi scoop to let everyone know that it's complete trash just like the last ones. That's all.

— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) November 14, 2022

Palmeri took on the verbal abuse with her stoic observation that she “touched a nerve.”

touched a nerve…

— Tara Palmeri (@tarapalmeri) November 14, 2022

The animosity resumed on Thursday when Hammill went after Palmeri by referring to reports that Pelosi had two speeches prepared to reflect whichever decision she would make.

“Anybody who tells you they know what she will do is a liar,” Hammill said.

I hate to break it to my favorite reporter but the Speaker took two versions of her speech home last night as has been reported. Anybody who tells you they know what she will do is a liar. https://t.co/kigcUnmiL7

— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) November 17, 2022

Now that Pelosi’s decision has been publicly announced, Palmeri’s report has been proven accurate. Thus, the Puck writer has been retweeting several political observers who’ve been calling Hammill out for his unwarranted, hostile conduct toward her.

This is not okay, Drew. Especially when you're wrong. Abuse is not part of the job. pic.twitter.com/5q4ya5BpG1

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) November 17, 2022

Many others slammed Hammill:

So what was the point of this exactly? https://t.co/2ZHp8PcOwz

— Andrew Egger (@EggerDC) November 17, 2022

>> @tarapalmeri got it right. https://t.co/tZ4OLrMWyJ

— Gabe Fleisher (@WakeUp2Politics) November 17, 2022

This is what ended up happening https://t.co/kha1DBrhBt

— Matt Holt (@mattholt33) November 17, 2022

For the record, Pelosi spox Drew Hammill specifically denied @tarapalmeri’s scoop on Pelosi’s departure, which she had entirely correct.@PuckNews

— Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) November 17, 2022

“Constantly trying to break news nevertheless.”

New @PuckNews motto.

@tarapalmeri pic.twitter.com/42kp7mKrvY

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) November 17, 2022

Former Capitol Police Chief Says Natl. Guard Offer Refused: ‘Pelosi Will Never Go For It’
Jon Dougherty, September 20, 2023

Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund made a startling revelation during congressional testimony on Tuesday that echoes a claim made previously by former President Donald Trump.

During testimony, Sund claimed that three days before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol Building, U.S. House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving rejected Sund’s request to deploy hundreds of National Guard soldiers because Irving told him then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would “never go for it,” The Epoch Times reported.

Sund made his revelation to the House Oversight Committee during a 90-minute hearing, the outlet added.

In what was his first testimony before a House committee since he was forced to resign on Jan. 8, two day after the incident — he wasn’t called at all to testify before Pelosi’s hand-picked Jan. 6 Committee — Sund said he was frustrated by the refusal of the offer of troops because their presence that day, he believes, would have been a “game-changer.”

The outlet added:

Mr. Sund said in meetings with Mr. Irving and Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger on Jan. 3, he had asked them to approve his request for National Guard soldiers to help secure the Capitol on Jan. 6. Mr. Irving and Mr. Stenger made up two-thirds of the Capitol Police Board, which oversees U.S. Capitol Police and had to approve any such requests.

He met first with Mr. Irving.

“I went into his office, again 9:24 in the morning … and immediately went up and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to bring in the National Guard to support me on, to assist me on the perimeter because when we have a joint session of Congress, it takes a lot of our personnel inside,’” Sund said during his testimony, the outlet added.

“But immediately, as soon as I asked him, his first response was: ‘I don’t know. I don’t like the optics of that,’” Sund testified. “And his second response was, ‘Besides, the intelligence doesn’t support it.’”

Irving instructed Sund to go speak with Stenger, which he did around two hours later, he explained to lawmakers.

“‘You know, let’s come up with another idea,’” Sund said, quoting Stenger, who also suggested that the police chief reach out to the Pentagon to see how quickly Guard personnel could respond if needed.

“So I called [Army Gen.] William Walker, 6:14 p.m. that night,” Sund testified. “He told me they have 125 people assisting with COVID response. He could reallocate those fairly quickly once he got secretary of defense approval and send them over.”

At one point, Sund was asked by subcommittee Chairman Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) if he believed that Irving tipped off Stenger before Sund arrived at Stenger’s Senate office. Sund said he asked Stenger that very question at a lunch meeting in April 2021.

“I said, ‘Mr. Stenger, you came up with that response fairly quickly for me to call General Walker,’” Mr. Sund testified. “And he told me Paul Irving had called him ahead of time and said: ‘Sund came here looking for the National, asking for the National Guard. We got to come up with another plan. Pelosi will never go for it.'”

“I was floored by him saying that,” Sund testified.

Stenger was appointed by then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), but he died from an extended illness in June 2022. Irving was appointed by Pelosi but had also served during Republican control of the House. Loudermilk says Irving will be called to testify before his subcommittee.

Trump has said in the past and again recently that Pelosi, as House speaker, was in charge of security for the Capitol and that she refused an offer for National Guard troops.

“Nancy Pelosi was in charge of security. She turned down 10,000 soldiers. If she didn’t turn down the soldiers, you wouldn’t have had January 6,” Trump told NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Sunday. “I’m not going to tell you anything. Let me put it this way, I behaved so well. I did such a good job. Nancy Pelosi turned down 10,000 soldiers.”

Nancy Pelosi evicted from her private office in the Capitol by interim House speaker
By Houston Keene Fox News
Published October 3, 2023 10:10pm EDT

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was evicted from her private Capitol office by the new speaker pro-tempore.

Fox News Digital confirmed that House Speaker pro-tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., gave the order to Pelosi to vacate her Capitol hideaway by Wednesday.

McHenry is a close ally to now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was ousted from his role on Tuesday.

McHenry's eviction order was one of the congressman's first acts as the top House lawmaker.

Pelosi was notified of the eviction, first reported by Politico, in an email.

The email said the former speaker's hideaway was being reassigned "for speaker office use."

"Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed," the email read.

Pelosi moved out of her hideaway on Tuesday, with help from the staff of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., according to a spokesperson for the former speaker.

Capitol hideaways are a mainstay in the Senate, but are a luxury only afforded to a select few House members.

"With all of the important decisions that the new Republican Leadership must address, which we are all eagerly awaiting, one of the first actions taken by the new Speaker Pro Tempore was to order me to immediately vacate my office in the Capitol," Pelosi said in a statement.

"Sadly, because I am in California to mourn the loss of and pay tribute to my dear friend Dianne Feinstein, I am unable to retrieve my belongings at this time," the former speaker continued.

"This eviction is a sharp departure from tradition," Pelosi said. "As Speaker, I gave former Speaker [Dennis] Hastert a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished."

The former speaker said office space doesn't matter to her, "but it seems to be important to them."

"Now that the new Republican Leadership has settled this important matter, let's hope they get back to work on what's truly important for the American people," she concluded.

Pelosi's eviction comes after McCarthy was ousted by his seat in a motion to vacate.

Eight House Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida voted with the entirety of the House Democrats to remove McCarthy from the speakership. Pelosi did not vote because since she was in California after accompanying the late Senator Feinstein's remains for burial.