OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
One of the first official moves by acting House Speaker Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) shortly after he took over the gavel following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was to take action against another former Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
McHenry ordered Pelosi to vacate her plush office immediately, adding that it would be “re-keyed” after she left.
“Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed,” said an email sent to Pelosi’s office that was seen by Politico. The email noted further that the room would be used “for speaker office use.”
Initially, it was thought that McHenry, in his official capacity, made the decision, but it turns out it actually came from the ousted McCarthy, according to CNN.
Why? Because McCarthy wants Pelosi’s office.
The outlet reports:
Kevin McCarthy was behind interim Speaker Patrick McHenry’s move to kick former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer out of their office spaces, two Republican sources told CNN.
GOP Rep. Garret Graves told reporters on Wednesday that McCarthy is getting the office that McHenry has ordered her to vacate.
“Look, the deal is that the office that Pelosi is in right now is the office of the preceding speaker. Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats determined that they wanted a new … speaker, and it’s Kevin McCarthy. So, he’s getting the office,” Graves said.
“I don’t know what they’re complaining about,” Graves added about Democratic grumbling. “They created this situation.”
Pelosi was using a hideaway office which is a perk to which only a handful of members are privvy. Because she was a former speaker, McCarthy allowed her to continue using the office, but obviously, McHenry — a McCarthy ally — isn’t on board with it.
Pelosi was not present in the House and missed the vote to oust McCarthy. She is currently in California for the funeral of long-time Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who passed away at the age of 90 last week.
“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. 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,” she said, calling the move “a sharp departure from tradition.” She also noted that she provided former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) “a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished” during her tenure.
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“Office space doesn’t matter to me, but it seems to be important to them,” she said, according to CNN. “Now that the new Republican Leadership has settled this important matter let’s hope they get to work on what’s truly important for the American people.”
Politico noted that “House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ staff helped Pelosi’s office make the move, according to a spokesperson for the former speaker.”
The final vote to vacate the Speaker’s chair on Tuesday was 216 to 210. McCarthy has said since his ouster that he would not seek the position again.
McCarthy acknowledged the difficulty of his situation before the vote.
When asked if it was likely that five Republicans would vote with the Democrats, McCarthy replied, “Probably so,” meaning that he would resign if that happened. He claimed that he does not anticipate support from Democrats.
“I don’t regret standing up for choosing governing over grievance. It is my responsibility. It is my job. I do not regret negotiating. Our government is designed to find compromise,” he told reporters.
