New Temporary House Speaker Orders Pelosi To Vacate Capitol Hideaway Office

 Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who is the temporary Speaker of the House, has ordered Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi to vacate her Capitol hideaway office by tomorrow.

“Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed,” an email to Pelosi’s office said, according to POLITICO. The email said that the room will now be “for speaker office use.”

McHenry became acting speaker after House Democrats sided with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and seven other Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs (AZ), Ken Buck (CO), Eli Crane (AZ), Bob Good (VA), Matt Rosendale (MT), Tim Burchett (TN), and Nancy Mace (SC) — to oust McCarthy from his speakership.

It was the first time in U.S. history that the House has removed a speaker.

Pelosi fumed that being evicted from her office as “a sharp departure from tradition,” adding that she could not retrieve her possessions at this time because she was in California following the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

McCarthy said on Friday that in January, when he was trying to lock up the votes he needed to become speaker, Pelosi encouraged him to give concessions to the small group of Republicans who were blocking him, including allowing a single member to file a motion to vacate.

 

Pelosi reportedly promised McCarthy that if a motion to vacate was ever brought up, she would back him up.