Pelosi Advises Democrats: Steer Clear of Assisting McCarthy’s Bailout

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly is warning her colleagues not to bail out House Speaker Kevin McCarthy if there is a vote to oust him, saying he can’t be trusted.

Pelosi, D-Calif., is arguing that Democrats should let the Republicans deal with the drama in their party, including warning Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies and others in his leadership team against supporting McCarthy, reports Politico.

Pelosi has had a strained relationship with McCarthy, also of California, who once joked about hitting her in the head with her own gavel when she was speaker. Still, Democrats are saying that the decision about whether to become involved if there is a motion lies with Jeffries, the minority leader, and not Pelosi.

Jeffries, D-N.Y., has not weighed in on what Democrats should do if a motion to remove McCarthy from the speaker’s seat is called. 

The minority party often acts to elect one of its members as speaker in such cases, but Democrats could also refuse to vote, thus denying those wanting to remove McCarthy from getting the votes they would need to oust him. 

Meanwhile, Pelosi’s spokesperson Aaron Bennett pointed out that she “has always said that every member should follow the direction of our leader, Hakeem Jeffries.”

But Jeffries is dismissing the situation as being hypothetical and reportedly has told his leadership team in private that Democrats should stick together on the matter of the speaker. 

Some Democrats told Politico that they agree with Pelosi and that Jeffries should not make any deals with McCarthy, with one saying he should not come to any agreements “if he wants to be speaker.”