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Nancy Pelosi blasted Mitch McConnell in an interview with Semafor on Wednesday, accusing the Senate GOP leader of failing to hold former President Donald Trump accountable for attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
McConnell “knew what happened on January 6,” 2021, the California Democrat and former House speaker told Semafor’s Kadia Goba at a Principals Live event. “He said the president was responsible and then did not hold him accountable.”
Asked if she had any advice for McConnell — who will make his own exit from party leadership but not Congress at the end of the year — Pelosi was withering: “I feel sorry for Mitch McConnell.”
Pelosi’s remarks come as Democratic concern grows about a possible attempt by Republicans to disrupt certification of the 2024 presidential ballot, if a GOP speaker is heading the House majority in January.
Pelosi, who now holds the title of Speaker Emerita, also voiced hopes that her successor as House Democratic leader will be speaker by that time: “Hakeem Jeffries must have that gavel on Jan. 6,” she said.
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McConnell voted to acquit Trump in the then-president’s second impeachment trial following the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, while saying in a much-watched Senate floor speech that Trump was “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day.”
After Trump won the GOP nomination, McConnell offered his endorsement, making good on his previous promise to endorse the eventual nominee no matter who prevailed.
Even as she criticized McConnell, Pelosi made clear that he was aligned with her and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in urging that National Guard troops be sent to the Capitol to help quell the riot.
“We begged the president [Trump] to send the National Guard over and over again,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi also told Semafor that she would support the Secret Service’s bid for more resources following two attempts to assassinate Trump, in agreement with the stance other Democrats have taken — though as a longtime member of the congressional committee in charge of federal spending, she wants the beleaguered agency to provide specifics on how it plans to use the new money.
“We want to see the mission, the need, and the oversight of how that money is spent, but we certainly have to have our presidents and our candidates for president protected,” Pelosi said.
She also addressed the frenetic climate on Capitol Hill following President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid in July. At the time, Pelosi reportedly voiced her support for an open primary that would let candidates other than Vice President Kamala Harris enter the field; she then endorsed Harris soon after Biden bowed out.
Asked if she had reevaluated her initial position on the Democratic nomination, Pelosi made clear that Harris impressed her by rapidly clearing the potential field this summer.
“I didn’t change my mind. We had an open primary, and she won it,” Pelosi said of Harris. “Nobody else got in the race.”
Notable
- Pelosi indicated she wanted to “avoid the appearance of a Kamala Harris coronation” during a meeting with California Democrats, per Politico.
- She issued a statement praising McConnell earlier this year after his decision to step aside from Senate leadership, released by her office.