Acting speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) has ordered previous Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to leave her office at the Capitol by Wednesday, which is a recent development on Capitol Hill.
An email was reportedly sent to Pelosi’s staff telling her to vacate her workspace. The email from a top staff member of the House Administration Committee, which is dominated by Republicans, indicated that the space needed to be emptied so that it could be used as a speaker’s office.
The aide reportedly wrote, “Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed,” in the note.
McCarthy was fired on Tuesday, and McHenry, a significant McCarthy backer, took over as interim speaker. In contrast to the Senate’s custom, only a small number of members of the House are given secret offices in the Capitol.
Pelosi firmly opposed the eviction, calling it a notable break with precedent. She cited the fact that she had given former Speaker Dennis Hastert indefinite access to a larger office suite while she was in office.
Pelosi was unable to get her items since she was attending the memorial ceremonies in San Francisco for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Pelosi and Feinstein were close friends.
This event follows a historic House of Representatives vote that saw Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) ousted from his leadership position as a result of divisions within the GOP. Rep. Matt Gaetz proposed the motion to remove McCarthy because McCarthy worked with Democrats to avert a government shutdown.
Pelosi had previously declared her intention to seek reelection to take back control of the House and thwart any potential comeback of former President Donald Trump. Her resolve to thwart Trump’s potential comeback to power and attend to San Francisco’s “special needs” had an impact on her choice.