4th October, 2023
Interim Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Patrick McHenry has evicted former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her long-time deputy, Steny Hoyer from their offices at the Capitol.
The evictions come after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the chamber’s plum post on Tuesday and McHenry, a top loyalist, was appointed in the interim.
Politico, which first reported the eviction demands, said items belonging to Pelosi were being packed up on Tuesday evening with the help of staff to her successor, Hakeem Jeffries.
Pelosi in a statement said 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 her to immediately vacate her office in the Capitol.
According to Pelosi, sadly, because she was in California to mourn the loss of and pay tribute to her dear friend Dianne Feinstein, she was unable to retrieve her belongings at this time.
She lamented that the eviction was a sharp departure from tradition, saying as Speaker, she gave former Speaker Hastert a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished.
Pelosi added that office space did not matter to her, but that it seemed to be important to them, adding that now that the new Republican Leadership had settled this important matter, “let’s hope they get to work on what’s truly important for the American people.”
The 83-year-old lawmaker had recently said she would be seeking re-election into the US Federal House of Representatives in next year’s election.
Pelosi, who has been speaker of the House twice is vying for re-election under California’s 11th congressional district.
“Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection — and respectfully ask for your vote,” she said.