In a surprising turn of events, senior Democrats, including Rep.
Nancy Pelosi, have been stripped of their coveted hideaway offices near the House floor.
The move came shortly after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the House speakership.
The office of House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R) issued a notice to Pelosi regarding her office. "The room will be re-keyed," the notice read, instructing Pelosi to promptly remove her possessions. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), another high-ranking Democrat with an office in the Capitol, was served a similar notice.
Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) disclosed on Wednesday that the hideaway offices would be reassigned to McCarthy. "The office that Pelosi is in right now is the office of the preceding speaker. Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats determined that they wanted a new ... speaker, and it's Kevin McCarthy. So, he's getting the office," Graves explained to reporters, as reported by CNN.
Pelosi, in response to losing her office, issued a statement expressing her dissatisfaction, labeling her "eviction a sharp departure from tradition." However, Graves countered, stating that the Democrats were the architects of their own predicament. "I don't know what they're complaining about," Graves said. "They created this situation."
CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel reported that the orchestrator of this "real-estate revenge" was actually McCarthy, not McHenry. "Patrick McHenry gave the public order. But according to multiple sources who have told me ... in fact, it will not surprise you to know that Kevin McCarthy was responsible for Pelosi and Steny Hoyer losing their hideaways, and guess who is moving into Pelosi's office," Gangel said on CNN. "Kevin McCarthy."
Gangel further reported that a Republican source confided, "'Kevin is on a revenge tour. Patrick would never do that on his own. This was Kevin's call.'"
The Republican party is reportedly disgruntled, not only with the eight GOP lawmakers who voted against McCarthy, but also with the entire Democratic caucus for siding with them.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D) has been capitalizing on the upheaval for fundraising purposes, blaming Republicans for plunging the "People's House into chaos, crisis, and confusion." However, Jeffries omitted to mention that the "chaos, crisis, and confusion" would not have been possible without the endorsement of the Democrats.
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