Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a tense exchange with a reporter on Wednesday after being asked whether Republicans should negotiate with Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to resolve the ongoing government shutdown.
The reporter posed the question by referencing comments from Republicans, suggesting Ocasio-Cortez was directing talks. “There was a thought from the Republicans that AOC is directing this, and she said that senators are welcome to go to her office directly. Is she driving that?” the reporter asked.
Pelosi immediately pushed back, calling the idea “ridiculous.” She emphasized that it is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is leading Democrats in negotiations. “She’s wonderful, she’s a real team player, and the rest of that,” Pelosi said. “You started by saying Republicans say that she’s directing this. She is not, Hakeem Jeffries is, and this takes a lot of experience, a lot of unity from the caucus in terms of the point of view, and that’s what this is.”
Pelosi acknowledged Ocasio-Cortez’s role as an “articulate spokesperson for her point of view,” but reiterated that Jeffries is managing the talks with Republicans.
The reporter’s question came in response to Ocasio-Cortez’s comments during a Tuesday night appearance on MSNBC. The progressive lawmaker told Republicans, “My office is open, and you are free to walk in and negotiate with me directly.”
This is not the first time Pelosi has pushed back on the extent of Ocasio-Cortez’s influence in Democratic leadership. In 2019, amid a dispute over a border funding bill opposed by Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives, Pelosi told The New York Times, “All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world, but they didn’t have any following. They’re four people, and that’s how many votes they got.”
Reports have also highlighted Pelosi’s behind-the-scenes efforts to limit Ocasio-Cortez’s rise within the party. A Punchbowl News article late last year claimed Pelosi was “actively working to tank” Ocasio-Cortez’s bid to lead the House Oversight Committee, reportedly making calls to back her opponent, the late Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia. Ocasio-Cortez ultimately lost the secret ballot vote, with Connolly winning by a margin of 131 to 84.
Pelosi’s sharp response underscores both her determination to keep the spotlight on experienced Democratic leadership during high-stakes shutdown negotiations and the ongoing tension surrounding Ocasio-Cortez’s growing profile in the party.
