Tipsheet

SILENCE: Ocasio-Cortez Lobs Another Grenade At Pelosi, Says Her Committee Assignments Had Only One Goal

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  July 10, 2019 2:20 PM

Well, it’s no secret that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is at war with the far left of the Democratic Party, at least for now. Of course, we mean Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and her crew. Yes, it’s small, something that Pelosi hit on in a less the subtle swipe at this troublemaker caucus. Pelosi pretty much said that the AOC wing is like four people, they’re overrepresented because of their social media presence, and they don’t sway all that much on the Hill. Pelosi is right that they are somewhat a small group, but they’re aggressive, outspoken, and do command a lot of clout. AOC’s Green New Deal has served as the basis for many of the 2020 Democratic candidates’ agendas on so-called global warming. Some have even signed onto it. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) even took a swipe at Pelosi, saying that the establishment wing is just “salty” that they’re wielding power. Well, AOC’s latest accusation against Pelosi is that she’s trying to shut her up by overworking her with her committee assignments (via Grabien):

…In an interview with WNYC’s “New Yorker Hour,” AOC accused Pelosi of intentionally saddling her with work to keep her out of the spotlight.

“I was assigned to some of the busiest committees and four subcommittees,” AOC said. “So my hands are full. And sometimes I wonder if they’re trying to keep me busy.”

The New York lawmaker had been describing why she declined Pelosi’s offer to sit on a standing committee on climate change. AOC said she declined the Speaker’s offer after she had refused AOC’s demands for what the committee should do. 

Asked about how the relationship with Pelosi is generally, AOC deadpanned: “I think sometimes people think that we have a relationship.”


This latest spat occurred over the border crisis. House Speaker Pelosi, with moderate House Democrats, joined forces and passed the Senate border package that did not include any of the provisions aimed at curbing immigration enforcement. The Senate package was also overwhelmingly bipartisan and the only bill that could be signed by President Trump. The House bill allocated the same amount of money—$4.6 billion—has strings attached. Trump said he would refuse to sign that bill. The Democrats being unwilling to work with Trump is why the situation at our border detention facilities has become totally insane. This could have been prevented, like when the Department of Homeland Security said they were running out of money to handle the flow of illegals. Oh, and to boot, AOC voted against the House bill, so she’s just the queen of causing trouble. Some would call this a “catfight,” no? Oh right, we can’t call it that.

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UPDATE: Pelosi torches progressive members in a closed-door meeting, saying if they have problems—they should seek her. Don’t tweet it (via Politico):

Speaker Nancy Pelosi chided progressives in a closed-door meeting Wednesday, calling on them to address their intra-party grievances privately rather than blasting their centrist colleagues on Twitter.

Pelosi’s comments, which were described as stern, came during the first full caucus meeting since a major blow up over emergency border funding last month between progressive and moderate lawmakers as well as a recent spat with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and her freshman allies.

"So, again, you got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it," Pelosi told Democrats, according to a source in the room. "But do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is just ok."

Democrats inside the room said they interpreted that remark as a shot at Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who called moderate Democrats members of the “Child Abuse Caucus” in a tweet over their support for the Senate’s version of the emergency humanitarian package.