Former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has reportedly launched a behind-the-scenes effort to thwart Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) bid to function the highest Democrat on the Home Oversight Committee.
Pelosi, 84, would reasonably see Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) function rating member on the high-profile panel and is “actively working to tank” the 35-year-old New York Democrat’s bid, in line with Punchbowl Information.
The previous Home speaker has been “making calls” urging Democrats to assist Connolly, 74, over Ocasio-Cortez, the outlet reported on Thursday.
Pelosi has publicly backed Connolly’s candidacy however the scope of the highly effective Democrat’s lobbying marketing campaign was beforehand unknown.
Connolly and Ocasio-Cortez are in a heated intra-party race to interchange present Oversight Committee rating member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
The Democratic Steering and Coverage Committee will meet subsequent week and make a advice to the complete Democratic caucus on who needs to be elected rating member on the panel tasked with dealing with oversight of the incoming Trump administration.
A number of retailers have reported that Ocasio-Cortez has the assist of nearly all of Democrats on the oversight panel.
Ocasio-Cortez additionally seems to have an unlikely ally in Home Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).
“I’m an enormous AOC fan,” Comer instructed CNN on Thursday. “Clearly, I don’t agree with very a lot of her coverage, however I feel she’s an excellent particular person, I feel she’s very well-spoken.”
The Kentucky Republican indicated that he didn’t have an excellent relationship with Raskin – who’s angling to get the No. 2 spot on the Home Judiciary Committee subsequent yr – and he expects to have a “good working relationship” with Ocasio-Cortez if she had been to turn out to be rating member.
“I inform the press once they ask concerning the race for rating member, the Democrats have nowhere to go however up after having Jamie Raskin for the final 4 years, so, I feel AOC can be nice,” Comer stated, earlier than sliding in that Connolly would additionally “be nice.”
Pelosi’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to The Put up’s request for remark.
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