Kevin McCarthy was behind interim Speaker Patrick McHenry’s move to kick former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer out of their office spaces, two Republican sources told CNN.
GOP Rep. Garret Graves told reporters on Wednesday that McCarthy is getting the office that McHenry has ordered her to vacate.
“Look the deal is that the office that Pelosi is in right now is the office of the preceding speaker. Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats determined that they wanted a new … speaker, and it’s Kevin McCarthy. So, he’s getting the office,” he said.
Sources close to Pelosi and Hoyer say it was retaliation for Democrats siding against McCarthy in voting to vacate the speaker’s chair Tuesday. The unofficial offices are located near the House floor.
McCarthy and McHenry’s did not respond to requests for comment.
These offices aren’t their actual offices, those are in a different building. These additional spaces have been described as “hideaway” offices, right in the Capitol, where a small group of people can have a quick, private chat while still being close to the House chamber.
I doubt Pelosi was really expecting to keep that space, to be honest. But she was probably not expecting to leave until a new Speaker was chosen. (And it is certainly bad optics to kick her out of the space while she was away at Feinstein’s funeral…)