Pelosi Claims Interim House Speaker Forced Her to Relinquish Capitol Office

Nancy Pelosi has claimed that she was told to leave her office in the US Capitol by the new interim House Speaker, Patrick McHenry. This request came shortly after McHenry was appointed as acting Speaker, following the removal of his Republican ally Kevin McCarthy from the position on Tuesday. Pelosi criticized the move, stating that she was asked to leave immediately and called it a departure from tradition. McHenry has not commented on the situation yet. Although it is unusual for Congressional members without leadership roles to have offices in the Capitol, Pelosi, a Democrat and former House Speaker, retained one. In a statement, Pelosi mentioned that she was unable to retrieve her belongings at the time, as she was in California mourning the death of her close friend Dianne Feinstein, a long-serving Senator who passed away at the age of 90 last week. Pelosi also added that office space was not significant to her, but it appeared to be important to others. The request for Pelosi to vacate her office was initially reported by Politico and an email sent to her staff from the House Administration Committee confirmed it. The email stated that the Speaker pro tempore would reassign the office for Speaker use and requested the space to be emptied. The decision was reportedly made by the previous Speaker's office, and McCarthy has not commented on it. McHenry assumed the interim Speaker role following McCarthy's loss in a no-confidence vote caused by a right-wing revolt within his party. While McHenry has temporarily taken on the position, there is still no clear successor to oversee the slim House Republican majority. The House is currently in recess for a week, with a potential vote on electing a new Speaker likely to occur next week.