Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) is sitting high on this throne. He emerged victorious in a three-way Democratic primary that pitted him against colleague Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), which was marked by unusual viciousness. Democratic bloodsports are nasty but adding the Big Apple factor turned it into something out of Gangs of New York. Maloney called Nadler senile and blamed her loss on misogyny. One of the most liberal and Democratic-dominated cities is oozing with a hatred of women—lady, you just lost. Nadler is a top Democrat who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, but does he even work? We might have found a Democrat who works less than Joe Biden. If not, he’s undoubtedly the most lethargic (via NY Post):
When the country’s House Democratic committee chairs gathered for a regular Zoom check-in earlier this year — one of the leaders was asleep at the wheel.
As the nation’s most powerful elected officials planned, strategized and informed their colleagues about what they were up to, Rep. Jerry Nadler — chairman of the House Judiciary Committee — napped.
“He was Rock-A-Bye Baby. The meetings are usually half an hour and he was out for about 15 minutes,” a Democratic Hill staffer who was on the call told The Post.
The aide said nobody bothered to wake the sleeping giant, and things hummed along without him.
“It’s just a known thing,” the aide said of Nadler’s serial snoozing.
[…]
“Staff regularly have to wake him up during hearings,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who serves with Nadler on the committee, told The Post.
“I don’t think it’s like Dianne Feinstein,” said one House Democrat who works closely with Nadler — referencing the famously out-of-it 89-year-old California senator. “You can just tell he’s not … as engaged with others.”
Two House insiders say Nadler’s deterioration played a role in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to sideline him during former President Trump’s first impeachment hearing in 2019.
Nadler’s languorous demeanor is something of an open secret on the Hill. The New York liberal is the king of naps. Some of this could be due to his old age, though the frequency of Mr. Nadler dozing off increased since his wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to The New York Post. Then again, Mr. Nadler has quite a health history, such as his collapse at a 2019 presser in Manhattan that required hospitalization. The congressman also had gastric bypass surgery in 2002 after becoming so large that he could not use New York City’s subway system.