(DCWatchdog.com) – Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has been evicted from her Capitol office. An email sent to Pelosi’s office stated that the room would be re-keyed and reallocated for “Speaker use.” A similar request was made to former House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who was also ordered to vacate his Capitol office.
The decision came swiftly after Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry took the reins and was named House speaker pro tempore, following the removal of Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in a historic vote.
Pelosi expressed her displeasure with the situation, saying, “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,” referring to McHenry (R-NC).
Pelosi had two separate tenures as the Speaker of the House, from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2022. She highlighted the departure from tradition, saying, “This eviction is a sharp departure from tradition. As Speaker, I gave former Speaker [Dennis] Hastert a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished.”
Pelosi is currently in California, mourning the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein. Due to her absence, she is unable to retrieve her belongings from the office. Senator Feinstein passed away at the age of 90 after battling a series of health issues. Her body will lie in state at San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday, with Pelosi expected to speak at a memorial service outside City Hall on Thursday.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-NY) staff members assisted in clearing out Pelosi’s office. Items, including a television and bags, were seen outside the office before being removed.
“Office space doesn’t matter to me, but it seems to be important to them,” Pelosi commented. “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.”
It’s worth noting that Pelosi was not present when the House voted to remove McCarthy as House Speaker. The vote, driven by members of McCarthy’s party, resulted in McCarthy’s removal with 216 votes in favor and 210 against, with eight Republicans joining 208 Democrats in the decision. These eight Republicans were Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Matt Rosendale of Montana.
