Nancy Pelosi Breaks Silence on Betrayal of Kevin McCarthy

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has finally addressed the allegations of a secret deal involving former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and the contentious “motion to vacate” rule.  

In a Friday interview with Los Angeles-based reporter Elex Michaelson, Pelosi denied ever telling McCarthy that House Democrats would protect him in a potential ousting effort. 

“Kevin McCarthy says that you essentially broke a promise to him to keep Democrats with him if there was a vote against him. Is that not true?” Michaelson asked Pelosi.

Pelosi responded, “Not really. I had no promise to him. Our Democratic members made that decision.”

@SpeakerPelosi breaks silence behind the secret deal to shield @SpeakerMcCarthy in the event of a motion to vacate. “I had no promise to him. Our Democratic members made that decision,” she told @Elex_Michaelson on Friday. A week ago, McCarthy claimed Pelosi told him otherwise. pic.twitter.com/5gWthFknX3

— Luis Cornelio (@luisrcornelio) October 7, 2023

The Oct. 3 motion to vacate, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., saw a surprising alliance between staunch conservatives and the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives. This alliance resulted in McCarthy’s removal from his position, marking the first time in U.S. history that a speaker had been ousted. 

McCarthy, in the aftermath of his removal on Oct. 3, directly accused Pelosi and Democrats of failing to protect him. Specifically, McCarthy claimed that Pelosi had indeed promised to safeguard his position.

“Nancy Pelosi came to me, she was speaker at the time, on the way out, and I told her I was having issues with getting enough votes,” McCarthy remarked in a speech following the expulsion. “And she said, ‘What’s the problem?’ I said, ‘They want this one person can rule you out.’” 

McCarthy continued, “And she said, ‘Just give it to them. I’ll always back you up.’”

Kevin McCarthy told reporters yesterday he relied on Democrats to save him. He believed they would do so because he passed the CR. He also says he trusted lying snake Pelosi, who once told him “I’ll always have your back.” But it turns out she meant only with a knife in it. pic.twitter.com/RJmmqVWatq

— Chadwick Moore (@Chadwick_Moore) October 4, 2023

The California Republican expressed his belief that the decision to remove him was purely political and voiced concerns about the potential harm inflicted on the institution. “My fear is the institution fell today,” McCarthy said. 

Despite McCarthy’s claims, the purported agreement between him and Pelosi had no impact on the outcome, as House Democrats joined forces with Gaetz and seven other GOP lawmakers to expel him from his role as speaker.

So far, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., announced their bid to replace McCarthy.