A Democrat congressman has claimed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s career in Congress is over and that she will soon retire from politics.
Rep. John Larson (D-CT) claims that Pelosi’s word tour is her “swan song.”
Pelosi has been traveling the world lately, leading many to question why.
According to Larson, a former member of Pelosi’s leadership team, the speaker is preparing to stand down.
When asked whether Pelosi’s world tour is diplomacy, power politics, or the swan song of the speaker’s long career as she readies her exit, Larson said: “It’s a combination of all three.
“She has asserted herself as the Speaker of the House, and I think that’s a good thing, always.
“And I do think that part of it is her legacy.
“And part of it is for the rest of the world to see a woman of her age, stature, maturity, and what she’s been able to achieve.
“She is a great representative of the possibility for women in democracies all over the world.”
Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) said:
“The first time I was aware of her taking a stand on an issue was when she went to China in the 1990s after Tiananmen Square.
“And when I worked for Human Rights Watch, I frequently engaged with her and her office on international human rights issues, particularly with respect to China.
“As Speaker of the House, she obviously — like all of us — has to focus first on America.
“Sometimes the executive branch is OK with the tension — behind the scenes — because it helps them for Congress to play the bad cop.
“That then enables them to play the good cop and say, ‘Wouldn’t you rather deal with us than with these people in Congress who are liable to do anything?’
“But this has always been a passion of hers.”
Julian Zelizer, a congressional historian at Princeton University, said:
“As she reaches the last phase of her congressional career, I do think there is part of Pelosi that wants to move forward on initiatives, both at home and abroad, that have been important to her over the decades.
“The last presidency was a disastrous period for Democrats.
“There is part of the Speaker that feels the party needs to move forward on all fronts during this moment of power, particularly with the uncertainty of what happens after November.”
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) said:
“She’s using her power in a way that I think is very effective,” Speier said.
“Armenia — most people wouldn’t know where to find it on a map.
“They wouldn’t have been able to find Ukraine on a map.
“So I think it elevates Armenia, its issues and its legitimacy to retain a democracy in a bad neighborhood.”
Pelosi flexes power with world tour that could be swan song https://t.co/2xHC2T0zfh pic.twitter.com/IXkNQtBkIl
— The Hill (@thehill) September 28, 2022
Milking taxpayer funds for every last dime–
Nancy Pelosi flexes power with world tour that could be swan song. via The Hill— Andrew Malcolm (@AHMalcolm) September 28, 2022