Democrats privately gripe about Pelosi's 'damaging' post-election comments: 'She needs to take a seat'

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly irritating Democrats by not making room for her successor and continuing to speak about what went wrong in the election.

Nov 15, 2024 - 23:25
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Democrats privately gripe about Pelosi's 'damaging' post-election comments: 'She needs to take a seat'

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was once a titan of Democratic Party politics, but now she appears to be on the outs with President Biden and some House Democrats.

Biden made history by stepping down from the Democratic Party ticket after weeks of defections from Democratic lawmakers who implored him to withdraw, with reports that it was Pelosi who had coordinated the effort to force him to step down. Since then, their relationship has been frosty. 

After Vice President Kamala Harris lost, Pelosi responded by pointing the finger at Biden, saying "it would have been different" if he had dropped out earlier, telling the New York Times' "The Interview" podcast, "Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race."

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But her post-election thoughts aren't sitting well with some members of her party.

Axios reported, in a piece headlined "Scoop: House Dems sick of Pelosi," that while she "still instills fear in the members she led for two decades," some Democrats are "clearly frustrated Pelosi isn't fading into the sunset like she promised when she lost the gavel two years ago."

One anonymous senior Democratic lawmaker responded to Pelosi speaking out about what she thinks went wrong in the election. 

"She needs to take a seat," the lawmaker told the news outlet. "Making scattershot comments is not just unhelpful, it's damaging."

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"I understand that this is a difficult transition for her, not being the leader, but she is not," a member of the Congressional Black Caucus told Axios.

That same unnamed member argued that Pelosi is not making way for her successor, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, saying, "Hakeem has been tremendously graceful and respectful of her, but I don't think she is being respectful of him."

"She needs to understand what her new role is," the member concluded.

A spokesperson for Pelosi told Fox News Digital, "Speaker Pelosi is immensely proud of Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his masterful stewardship of the House Democratic Caucus. We all should praise the excellent progress made by House Democrats under his leadership."