(LibertySons.org) – Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) lost her coveted congressional hideaway soon after the lower chamber named Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) House speaker pro-tempore. He let her know in an email that he would be taking the office space for his new position. The veteran congresswoman was out of town for the funeral of her peer and close friend, the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), when she received the notice.
POLITICO shared that the email message told Pelosi that the lock to her hideaway door was going to be changed the following day and advised her to remove her belongings before then. Hideaways are unmarked, private offices, many of which are incredibly close to the Senate floor, that are reserved for some lawmakers for use as secondary offices. They’re safe zones members of Congress can use to relax or interact with staff and peers without worries of reporters or eavesdroppers. All senators have them, but only a handful of House members do.
Pelosi, who was not present for the vote, called the move “a sharp departure from tradition.” She added that she’d given the speaker before her a lavish suite when she’s taken her office, hinting that McHenry’s swift eviction might have been personal. It was one of the first decisions he made upon gaining his new seat. Because Pelosi was in California for Feinstein’s funeral, the staff for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) offered to move the congresswoman’s belongings for her.
McHenry became acting speaker because he was the first name on ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s list for the position. The New York Times reports that the close ally had rallied for his friend before the vote, imploring Democrats to help fail the measure against him. He’s among the names Republicans are floating to fill the seat until the end of the term, although CBS News predicts Steve Scalise (LA), Jim Jordan (OH), or Kevin Hern (OK) as more likely picks.
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