Speaker McHenry tries to evict Pelosi on his first day in charge

Just hours after taking over as interim Speaker, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received an order from Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) to leave her Capitol hideaway office so he could take charge, according to Pelosi's office on Tuesday.

Following Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) ouster from the position on Tuesday—the first time a Speaker has been removed by a vote—McHenry assumed the role of interim Speaker.

As the space was being repurposed "for speaker office use," McHenry's office asked Pelosi to leave her secret Capitol office by Wednesday. Politico was the first to report on the message. Inside the Capitol Building, a select few senior Representatives have "hideaway offices."

Late on Tuesday, Pelosi condemned the demand in a statement.

"One of the first actions taken by the new Speaker Pro Tempore was to order me to vacate my office in the Capitol immediately, given all of the important decisions that the new Republican Leadership must address, which we are all eagerly awaiting," the speaker stated.

"This removal marks a significant divergence from custom," she went on. "For as long as he wished, as Speaker, I granted former Speaker Hastert a significantly larger suite of offices."

Instead, she urged McHenry and the House Republicans to concentrate on passing legislation.

"Office space appears to be important to them, but it doesn't matter to me." Let's hope the new Republican Leadership gets to concentrate on what's really important for the American people now that this significant issue has been resolved," the speaker remarked.
Pelosi is in California in advance of Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) memorial services later this week. On Tuesday, she did not cast a vote on the motion to vacate.

"Unfortunately, I am unable to retrieve my belongings at this time because I am in California to mourn the loss of and pay tribute to my dear friend Dianne Feinstein," she continued.