Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, has been asked to vacate her private Capitol office by the new Speaker pro-tempore, Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina.
This move came as one of McHenry’s initial actions as the top House lawmaker.
Patrick McHenry, a close ally of the now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, issued the eviction order, and Pelosi received notification via email.
The email explained that Pelosi’s hideaway in the Capitol was being reassigned for “speaker office use” and requested that she vacate the space by the following day, as the room would be re-keyed.
On Tuesday, Pelosi relocated from her hideaway, with assistance from the staff of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, as reported by a spokesperson for the former Speaker.
It’s worth noting that Capitol hideaways are a feature more commonly found in the Senate, while only a select few House members enjoy this luxury.
“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.
“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 added.
Pelosi, when asked about the eviction, commented that office space wasn’t a significant concern for her but seemed to acknowledge its importance to others.
“This eviction is a sharp departure from tradition,” Pelosi continued. “As Speaker, I gave former Speaker [Dennis] Hastert a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished.”
“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.
This development followed McCarthy’s removal from his position through a motion to vacate, during which eight House Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, voted alongside the entire House Democratic caucus to oust McCarthy.
Pelosi did not participate in the vote as she was in California, accompanying the late Senator Feinstein’s remains for burial.
