A new book details the rocky relationship Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had while working together in Congress.
According to excerpts from The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution by journalist Ryan Grim, the New York Democrat and Pelosi shared several tense moments throughout their five years in Congress together.
Their first "live meeting" happened in July 2018 at a San Francisco restaurant where Pelosi reportedly talked for "nearly the entire lunch dishing out her trademark looping, run-on sentences."
"Getting Pelosi's unfiltered thoughts was both eye-opening and disturbing," Grim wrote. "Ocasio-Cortez, who had made the slogan 'Abolish Ice' [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] central to her challenge to Crowley, was particularly perplexed to hear Pelosi say that the phrase had been injected into American political discourse by the Russians and that Democrats needed to quash it."
The excerpts from the book, obtained by The Guardian, reveal that AOC's office dodged calls and meetings to avoid Pelosi when she was visiting New York.
The book cites how the progressive Squad member was also upset with Pelosi that no one from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had asked how she could unseat Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.). AOC claimed that the California Democrat "got so mad at me" when she discussed how the party should "pay attention and ask questions" when upsets happen to "spot weaknesses."
The outlet added that Pelosi often expressed frustration with AOC and her fellow Squad members "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."
The two Democrats reportedly met again in person, where the former speaker "blew up" in private.
In addition, Grim cites texts from AOC, in which one focuses on the age gap between her and Pelosi.
"The amount of times she told me that stupid 'I have protest signs older than you in my basement' shit. Like yeah, but mine don't collect dust," Grim wrote.
Another text found AOC pondering life without Pelosi in office, with her saying, "I thought things would get worse."
"I thought a lot of my misery was due to leadership more broadly having a thing against me. But … my life has completely transformed. It's crazy. And it's that that made me realize it was kind of just [Pelosi] the whole time," AOC said, according to Grim. "Senior members talk to me, [committee] chairs are nice to me, people want to work together. I'm shocked. I couldn't even get floor time before."
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