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.
Graves then put the blame on Democrats for voting McCarthy out of office.
“I don’t know what they’re complaining about,” Graves said. “They created this situation.”
Pelosi on Tuesday said McHenry has ordered her to vacate her office in the Capitol building. She does maintain her regular office in the Longworth House office building. An email sent from McHenry’s office to Pelosi’s office just after 6 p.m. Tuesday evening that was viewed by CNN, stated, “Going to reassign h-132 for speaker office use. Please vacate the space tomorrow.”
Pelosi said in a statement that she was not in Washington, DC, to immediately move her belongings.
“With all of the important decisions that the new Republican Leadership must address, which we are all eagerly awaiting, one of the first actions taken by the new Speaker Pro Tempore was to order me to immediately vacate my office in the Capitol,” the California Democrat said. “Sadly, because I am in California to mourn the loss of and pay tribute to my dear friend Dianne Feinstein, I am unable to retrieve my belongings at this time.”
Feinstein, whose three decades in the Senate made her the longest-serving female US senator in history, died last week at age 90 following months of declining health. She will lie in state at San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday ahead of funeral services Thursday.
Pelosi added in her statement that the “eviction is a sharp departure from tradition,” saying: “As Speaker, I gave former Speaker Hastert a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished.”
“Office space doesn’t matter to me, but it seems to be important to them,” she said. “Now that the new Republican Leadership has settled this important matter, let’s hope they get to work on what’s truly important for the American people.”
House Republican leadership also kicked Hoyer out of his Capitol hideaway office, his office confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.
As speaker pro tempore, McHenry’s official title, the congressman will preside over the vote and selection of the House’s next speaker, with the ability to recess the chamber, adjourn it and recognize speaker nominations.
McCarthy as speaker was required to submit a confidential list to the clerk of people “in the order in which each shall act as Speaker pro tempore in the case of a vacancy,” according to House rules. McHenry, a strong ally of McCarthy, was the top name on that list.
This story and headline have been updated with additional information.
By Annie Grayer, Jamie Gangel and Haley Talbot, CNN
