Pelosi denies McCarthy claims she promised to back him in vote to kick him from office

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) denied the notion that she had agreed to support her replacement, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), shifting the blame to other Democrats.

Pelosi was allegedly supporting McCarthy after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) partnered with House Republicans, the former House leader claimed in an interview. McCarthy alleged that he had been in conversation with Pelosi since the vote went up and that Pelosi had backed him up. Pelosi denied these claims.

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Pelosi was asked by Fox 11 anchor Elex Michaelson on Friday if she “essentially broke a promise to [McCarthy] to keep Democrats with him if there was a vote against him.”

“Not really. I had no promise to him,” Pelosi told FOX 11. “Our Democratic members made that decision.”

Pelosi noted that Democrats had multiple reasons to vote McCarthy out, including the current impeachment inquiry aimed toward President Joe Biden as well as McCarthy’s support for former President Donald Trump in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the United States Capitol.

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“If you don’t respect the institution, then don’t expect us to bail you out,” she said.

Pelosi had skipped the vote for McCarthy on Tuesday, deciding instead to remain in San Francisco for the funeral of her friend, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).