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Paul Pelosi attack: Suspect David DePape pleads not guilty to state charges

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CNN
 — 

The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband entered a second not guilty plea to state charges Wednesday and waived his right to a speedy trial.

David DePape – who is charged with a litany of crimes, including assault and attempted murder – made the plea in San Francisco superior court.

Appearing before Judge Teresa Caffese, DePape said only a single word in court, answering “yes,” when asked if he was waiving his right to a speedy trial. He is scheduled to return to San Francisco superior court in February when a trial date is expected to be set.

A second arraignment for felony charges is customary in California following a preliminary hearing in which a defendant is held to answer to all charges. DePape had pleaded not guilty during an initial appearance in early November shortly after his arrest.

DePape, who has also pleaded not guilty to a list of federal charges, had broken into the Pelosis’ home in October and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, according to court documents.

He told federal investigators that he was looking for Nancy Pelosi, and he said that he planned to kidnap the House speaker and break “her kneecaps” if she lied, according to the affidavit. CNN has previously reported DePape shouted, “Where’s Nancy?” as he entered the home.

DePape told officers and medics at the scene that he was sick of the “level of lies” coming from Washington, DC, and “came here to have a little chat with his wife,” according to a court filing. “I didn’t really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission. I’m not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life.”

Following the attack, Paul Pelosi had surgery “to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” Drew Hammill, a spokesman for the speaker, said in a statement at the time.

DePape had also planned to target President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and actor Tom Hanks, a San Francisco Police Department official testified this month.

DePape “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and held accountable for his heinous crimes,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement following the arraignment Wednesday.

Public defender Adam Lipson declined to comment after Wednesday’s quick procedural hearing. One of the Pelosis’ daughters, Christine Pelosi, was in attendance at the hearing.

This story has been updated with additional information and reaction.

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Pelosi on McCarthy calling omnibus ‘one of the most shameful acts’ he’s seen in House: ‘Had he forgotten Jan. 6?’

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rebutted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) comment calling the government funding omnibus bill “one of the most shameful acts” in the chamber’s history, asking if he had forgotten about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. 

Pelosi responded on the House floor on Friday ahead of the voting to pass the $1.7 trillion bill, saying it would likely be her last speech as Speaker on the floor. 

“It was sad to hear the minority leader earlier say that this legislation is the most shameful thing to be seen on the House floor in this Congress. I can’t help but wonder, had he forgotten Jan. 6?” Pelosi said. 

Her response came one day after McCarthy railed against the bill, pointing to “left-wing pet projects” that the bill funds. 

“This is a monstrosity. That is one of the most shameful acts I’ve ever seen in his body,” McCarthy said. “The appropriations process has failed the American public, and there’s no greater example of the nail in the coffin of the greatest failure of a one-party rule of the House, the Senate and the presidency.” 

Pelosi said the day of the House passing the bill was one of “immense patriotism” and noted that the bill includes language to reform election law in order to “thwart future attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.” 

The omnibus bill, which the House passed mostly along party lines in a 225-201-1 vote, includes the Electoral Count Reform Act. That legislation clarifies that the vice president only has a ceremonial role in counting the votes of the Electoral College in a presidential election. 

Members of Congress pushed for that bill in response to efforts from former President Trump and his allies to urge former Vice President Mike Pence to try to refuse to count certain votes in favor of President Biden in key states in the 2020 presidential election. 

Pelosi said the omnibus is “truly a package for the people.” 

McCarthy and other GOP opponents to the bill had argued that Congress should pass a continuing resolution to fund the government until Republicans take control of the House next year and can pass a smaller omnibus package. 

McCarthy also has backed hardline members who called for bills from Republican senators who voted for the omnibus bill to be stopped, saying they would be “dead on arrival” if he becomes Speaker.

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Pelosi mocked for wishing Americans a ‘Happy Shwanza’ during final speech as House Speaker: ‘Shawarma?’

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Twitter grilled Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Friday for wishing people a “Happy Shwanza,” instead of “Kwanzaa” during remarks closing out the House’s vote on the “omnibus” spending bill.

After the 4,155-page, $1.7 trillion bill passed in the House of Representatives Friday, Pelosi decided to close out the session of Congress by wishing happy holidays to several different groups celebrating this time of year, including one that doesn’t exist.

In her sign off – which she claimed “will probably be my last speech as Speaker of the House” – Pelosi said, “I yield back the balance of my time and wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe New Year. Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas. Happy Shwanza. Happy Hanukah.”

TOP REPUBLICAN BLASTS SPENDING BILL’S FOCUS ON FOREIGN BORDERS INSTEAD OF AMERICAN 

Nancy Pelosi accidentally wished people a “Happy Shwanza” on the House floor Friday.
(Screenshot/Twitter)

Making sure she respected all the major holidays this season, she added, “Whatever it is you celebrate, be safe! Thank you, Mr. Speaker.” Though several Twitter users fixated on “Shwanza” and ridiculed the Democratic Party leader for it. 

Conservative digital strategist Greg Price shared the 17 second clip to Twitter, tweeting, “Pelosi ends her final speech as Speaker of the House by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and a ‘Happy Shwanza.’”

Price then updated a classic Christmas line to reflect Pelosi’s gaffe. “Happy Shwanza to all and to all a good night,” he tweeted.

ELON MUSK TAUNTS SCHUMER, MCCONNELL AFTER TWITTER POLL SHOWS OPPOSITION TO OMNIBUS BILL: ‘PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN’

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is joined by her husband Paul Pelosi as they attend her portrait unveiling ceremony in Statuary Hall at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. 
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

“The Political Insider” columnist Rusty Weiss tweeted, “OMG. ‘Happy Shwanza.’ If Trump ever said that it’d be on a 24/7 news cycle with rioting in the streets.”

Writer and Filmmaker Cynthia Ritchie spread the holiday cheer with the new season’s greetings, tweeting, “Happy Shwanza everyone.”

Conservative influencer ALX tweeted, “Happy Shwanza from Crazy Nancy!”

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Conservative news publisher The Truth Gazette wrote, “In her last speech as Speaker, Crazy Nancy wishes you a ‘Happy Shwanza.’”

Author, filmmaker and U.S. Air Force veteran Shane Smedley indicated “Shwanza” made him think of something else. “Shawarma?” he asked.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., seated at left, is joined by her husband Paul Pelosi as they listen to praise from former Republican Speaker John Boehner, right, during her portrait unveiling ceremony in Statuary Hall at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. 
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. 

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Exclusive: Schumer and Pelosi say Biden should run in 2024

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CNN
 — 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leaving Democratic leadership after Republicans won the majority. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is remaining at the helm of a chamber Democrats still control.

But both said President Joe Biden should run for a second term in 2024 after what they described as an “excellent” first two years in office.

The Democratic congressional leaders’ comments came in their first joint sit-down interview with CNN’s Jamie Gangel over lunch at Hunan Dynasty, a Chinese restaurant on Capitol Hill in Washington, where the two have shared meals for years.

Pelosi said Biden, who at 80 is already the nation’s oldest president, has “done an excellent job” in the White House.

“I hope that he does seek reelection. He’s a person with great vision for our country. He’s been involved for a long time so he has great knowledge of the issues, and the challenges we face,” she said.

Pelosi also said Biden is “the most empathetic president. He connects with people.”

“The vision, the knowledge, the strategic thinking is all here,” she said, pointing to her head. “The empathy is from the heart. And I think he’s a great president.”

Asked if Biden should run again, Schumer said: “Yeah. He’s done an excellent, excellent job. And if he runs, I’m going to support him all the way.”

Carol Guzy for CNN

The interview took place less than three weeks before Pelosi steps down as speaker after Republicans won a slim majority in November’s midterm elections. The California Democrat plans to remain in the House, representing her San Francisco district, but is leaving her caucus’s leadership ranks.

Schumer and Pelosi reminisced in the interview about past battles with Donald Trump – and both predicted the former president will lose his third bid for the White House.

“The American people have gotten wise to him. Took a little while, but they did,” Schumer said.

The New York Democrat said Americans watched as pro-Trump rioters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and said voters’ understanding of the “danger to democracy” is partly responsible for Democrats’ stronger-than-expected showing in this year’s midterms.

“I don’t think we should talk about him while we’re eating,” Pelosi said of Trump.

The comments by the Democratic duo come amid the possibility of a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024. Trump has already announced his 2024 candidacy, though he is likely to face a competitive GOP primary; Biden has not made a formal announcement but has long maintained he will seek reelection, saying he will officially decide early next year.

A new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS found little appetite for a rematch between the 2020 rivals. About 6 in 10 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say they want their party to nominate someone other than Trump in 2024 (62%), while a similar 59% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they’d like to see someone other than Biden at the top of their ticket in the next presidential election.

In the interview, Pelosi and Schumer detailed their actions on January 6, 2021, as Trump-supporting insurrectionists attacked the Capitol.

Schumer said he asked acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen to put him on the phone with Trump – but Rosen would not do so.

“He wouldn’t put him on,” Schumer said.

Asked if Trump would not take their call, Schumer said, “Right. Correct.”

Those calls came three days after a high-stakes Oval Office meeting at which Trump considered replacing Rosen as acting attorney general with loyalist Jeffrey Clark so that Clark could use his powers to attempt to overturn the 2020 election. In that meeting, Trump was told that if he followed through on that plan, top Justice Department officials, including Rosen, would resign.

Pelosi contrasted Trump with the Republicans she’d worked with as House Democratic leader, including former speaker John Boehner. She described Trump as insane.

“I think there’s a need for an intervention by his family or something. I don’t think he’s on the level now,” Pelosi said.

In the interview, the two described a close relationship of more than three decades – “almost like brother and sister,” Schumer said.

That relationship involves regular dinners and talking on the phone four times a day – too many, Pelosi joked – all because Schumer has a flip phone.

“If he had a regular smartphone, we could reduce the number of conversations because I could just text him,” she said.

The two discussed a heated Oval Office meeting with Trump in December 2018, during which Trump said in front of news cameras that he would shut down the government over lawmakers’ refusal to fund his US-Mexico border wall.

“Chuck was masterful,” Pelosi said of the meeting, in which Schumer prompted Trump to make the declaration that he would shut the government down.

“She set him up so I could go in for the kill,” Schumer said.

Schumer said Pelosi was able to successfully navigate Trump’s presidency because she treated the Republican like a child.

“I tell people Nancy instinctively knew how to handle Trump because her first 35-40 years of life she raised five children,” he said.

Schumer said despite Pelosi’s departure from House Democratic leadership, the two will continue to speak regularly.

“I will be certainly calling,” he said, “and seek her advice and a feeling of what’s going on in the House and what we can get done.”

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Boehner’s tears, Obama’s tribute at unveiling of portrait for Pelosi

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A generation of congressional leaders fought back tears on Wednesday as they unveiled the official portrait of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the first woman to hold the chamber’s gavel, and the first to have her likeness immortalized in the Speaker’s Lobby.

In her remarks, Pelosi thanked her colleagues for helping her craft such a storied congressional career, noting that she made history as the first female House speaker only because her caucus “had the courage to elect a woman.”

“I’m honored to be the first, but it will only be a good accomplishment if I’m not the last,” Pelosi said.

Figures including former House speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined Pelosi in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall to celebrate her portrait and speakership. While Pelosi will remain in Congress, she will not serve as speaker, or in House Democratic leadership, in the next session.

An emotional Boehner recalled the many times he and Pelosi worked together in Congress, despite being on opposite sides of the aisle.

“Madam Speaker, you and I have disagreed publicly on many things over the years, but we were never disagreeable to each other,” Boehner said.

The former speaker noted that his daughters asked him to tell Pelosi “how much we admire her.”

“The younger generation today has a saying: ‘Game recognizes game,’” Boehner said. “And the fact of the matter is: No other speaker of the House in a modern era, Republican or Democrat, has wielded the gavel with such authority or with such consistent results.”

Pelosi, Boehner added, is “one tough cookie.”

In her remarks, Pelosi thanked Boehner, who was teary at times, and noted that she would have been “a little disappointed if he did not get emotional.”

Pelosi’s portrait was created by artist Ronald Sherr, who died last week. Sherr also painted Boehner’s official Capitol portrait, and Pelosi noted how the artist was able to capture “the intricate details of the House chamber.”

Her decision to step back from House leadership came after her husband, Paul Pelosi, was violently attacked in their San Francisco home by an intruder who was searching for her. Paul Pelosi was left with a skull fracture and serious injuries to his arm and hands.

Prosecutors play 911 call, show bodycam footage in Paul Pelosi attack

The crowd gave a standing ovation to Paul, who wore a hat as he appeared in Statuary Hall to celebrate his wife’s achievements Wednesday. The speaker thanked him in her remarks, calling him her “loving partner for life, my constant, constant pillar of support.”

Two of Pelosi’s closest Capitol confidantes, fellow California Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard, defined the speaker as a role model who, in Lofgren’s words, proved to “countless” women and girls that they “can play not just a part, but a leading role in bringing the change they wish to see in the world.”

Pelosi was first elected to the House in 1987 and became the first female speaker in 2007, serving until 2011. She became speaker for the second time in 2019, succeeding Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).

In her more than three decades of service, she has earned a reputation as a force of power in the face of male colleagues who at times undermined her work and opinions. She pushed over the finish line a remarkable number of legislative victories on her party’s top priorities, and she has received bipartisan recognition for her ability to keep Democrats united.

Pelosi stepping down as top House Democrat after 2 decades in leadership

Schumer, who was teary-eyed as he celebrated Pelosi, said the power to keep Democrats in line is one of the things he will “forever admire” about her.

History, Schumer added, will remember Pelosi as a lawmaker who “did it all.”

“We cannot talk about the Affordable Care Act without mentioning Nancy Pelosi. We cannot talk about the American Rescue Plan without mentioning Nancy Pelosi,” Schumer said. “We cannot talk about the [bipartisan deal on] infrastructure, or the Violence Against Women Act, the Lilly Ledbetter Act, repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — and so much more — without mentioning Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi.”

Former president Barack Obama also spoke via video, reminding the crowd that his love for the speaker “is well documented.”

“Whenever I get stressed about what’s happening in Washington, I always feel better knowing that Nancy is on the case,” Obama said. “And that’s because for Nancy, nothing is impossible.”

Pelosi, he said, was the Democrat who did not give up on his signature ACA in 2009, not even after Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) died, leaving Democrats with one fewer vote in the Senate.

“She would always say: ‘If the gate is closed, we’ll push it open,’” Obama recalled.

Pelosi, he said, “will go down as one of the most accomplished legislator leaders in American history.”

“And even after insurrectionists literally broke into her office,” Obama said, “she never stopped defending democracy here at home and around the world.”

Footage from the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol showed that, while rioters strode through the building’s hallways with bear spray and body armor in search of Pelosi — yelling “Where are you, Nancy?” and “Bring her out!” — she remained calm as she made efforts to reach the National Guard and procure the safety of her fellow lawmakers.

“In the face of insurrection, there was Nancy with us in the same room, unshaken, calm, determined to secure the building and keep democracy going,” Schumer said.

Joined by her husband, Paul Pelosi, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif). unveiled her official portrait at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 14. (Video: The Washington Post)

Few leaders in U.S. history, Schumer added, have been “as effective, as driven, as successful as Speaker Pelosi.”

“Somewhere out there, a future Madam Speaker awaits her chance to make a difference,” Schumer said. “And when that day comes, she will be standing on my friend Nancy Pelosi’s shoulders.”

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Paul Pelosi attends Kennedy Center Honors in first public appearance since attack

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Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), made his first public appearance Sunday at the Kennedy Center Honors since being violently attacked at the couple’s San Francisco home in October.

The 82-year-old business executive was welcomed with a thunderous standing ovation as he accompanied his wife to the storied event in the Kennedy Center’s Opera House.

In the event honoring Americans who have made significant contributions to the arts, Paul Pelosi was seen sitting beside his wife in the balcony of the performing arts center’s Opera House, wearing a hat while applauding honorees. He had a black glove on one hand.

Guests, stars and honorees spoke on the red carpet of the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4. (Video: Allie Caren, Breanna Muir/The Washington Post, Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Reuters/The Washington Post)

In October, an intruder broke into the couple’s home at night in the exclusive Pacific Heights neighborhood through a glass door, searching for the speaker, who was out of town at the time of the incident, and shouting “Where is Nancy?”

Paul Pelosi recovering as attack renews focus on toxic politics

Pelosi endured such severe injuries from a hammer that they required the business executive to undergo surgery to repair a skull fracture. Pelosi also suffered from “serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” according to the speaker’s office.

David Wayne DePape faces several state and federal charges related to the attack, including attempted murder, attempted kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. According to court documents, the 42-year-old told police he was on a “suicide mission” and was targeting a number of state and federal politicians to combat “lies” coming out of Washington.

Last month, the speaker said that her decision not to seek leadership in the Democratic Party during the next congressional session was in part due to the attack. She said she felt guilty that she was the intruder’s focus yet her husband endured the attacks.

In her speech last month announcing her decision to step down from leadership, Pelosi thanked her husband, calling him “my pillar of support,” and said she was grateful for “all of the prayers and well wishes as he continues his recovery.”

The lawmaker told reporters last month that her husband was “doing okay,” but faced a long recovery. The emotional trauma of the incident had left a deep mark on the entire family, Pelosi said.

“If he had fallen, slipped on the ice or was in an accident and hurt his head, it would be horrible, but to have it be an assault on him because they were looking for me is really — they call it ‘survivor’s guilt’ or something,” she said in her most detailed comments following the incident. “But the traumatic effect on him, this happened in our house.”

“It made our home a crime scene,” Pelosi added.

While some GOP lawmakers and noted figures expressed concern for the couple following the incident, the Pelosis quickly became the target of conspiracy theories from political opponents and punchlines from those on the right in the days following the attack, something the speaker sharply criticized.

“If your spouse were in a situation where other people would make a joke of it, think it was funny, be collecting money for bail for the perpetrator, putting out a conspiracy theory about what it was about — it’s so horrible to think the Republican Party has come down to this, and no real rejection of it by anybody in the party,” she said. “It’s so sad for our country.”

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Nancy Pelosi told Emmanuel Macron that she crushes a hotdog every day on Capitol Hill

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed her habit of eating a hot dog in the House Democratic cloakroom every day to French President Emmanuel Macron last week.

Pelosi made the comment during a Friday state dinner at the White House in a conversation with Macron and his wife, as well as President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Pelosi’s daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, was also reportedly in attendance and turned the conversation toward American cuisine, according to The New York Times.

The younger Pelosi reportedly pressed Biden to reveal his favorite American staples.

“He said: ‘Hot dogs, ice cream and spaghetti,’” Alexandra said. She then reported that her mother had jumped in to say she eats a hot dog on Capitol Hill every day. Macron and his wife reportedly appeared puzzled at the comment.

EUROPEAN OFFICIALS SAY US PROFITING FROM UKRAINE WAR, CALL INFLATION REDUCTION ACT ‘VERY WORRYING’ 

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcome French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron as they arrive for a State Dinner on the North Portico of the White House, on Dec. 1, 2022. 
(Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her daughter Alexandra Pelosi arrive at the White House to attend a state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron, in Washington, DC, on December 1, 2022.
(ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

RUSSIA ACCUSES US OF ‘DIRECT’ PARTICIPATION IN UKRAINE WAR, BUT LAVROV OPEN TO TALKS

Biden went on to stay up late with the guests of honor, however, with the president reportedly sipping on cans of pop and chatting with Macron until nearly 1:00 a.m.

The state dinner came in honor of Macron’s multi-day visit to the U.S., during which he and Biden reaffirmed the close friendship between the U.S. and France.

The pair held a joint press conference on Thursday detailing shared not only goals but also a few points of difference. Macron and other European leaders expressed frustration with Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which they say could negatively impact Europe’s economy.

While Biden made no apologies for the legislation, he did acknowledge some changes could be made. White House officials have insisted that the Inflation Reduction Act is not undermining the president’s promise to Europe that “America is back” as a reliable ally. 

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron hold a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 1, 2022. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) 
(JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

President Joe Biden stands with French President Emmanuel Macron after a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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“There’s a lot we can work out, but the essence of it is we’re going to make sure that the United States continues, and just as I hope Europe will be able to continue, not to have to rely on anybody else’s supply chain. We are our own supply chain. And we share that with Europe and all of our allies. And they will, in fact, have the opportunity to do the same thing,” Biden said Thursday.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

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Who is Hakeem Jeffries? Meet the front-runner to replace Nancy Pelosi

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Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is poised to succeed a history-making woman and make history of his own.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the first woman to hold that position, announced Thursday that she would step down as the top Democrat, paving the way for Jeffries, 52, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, to seek the job. If elected by House Democrats, Jeffries would become the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.

In a statement, Jeffries paid tribute to Pelosi but made no mention of his plans to seek the leadership job, although his move has been widely reported. Pelosi “is the most accomplished Speaker in American history and our country is unquestionably better off for her extraordinary leadership.” He went on to call her “the steady hand on the gavel during some of the most turbulent times the nation has ever confronted.”

Jeffries, in a nod to their history-making rise in the House, added: “The Speaker often reminds us that our diversity is our strength. I know we will draw on that wisdom as we come together as a Caucus to begin a new chapter.”

One of Pelosi’s longtime colleagues, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), announced that he also will step down from his leadership post. Jeffries is expected to be joined by Reps. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), who will seek the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, respectively.

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) will leave his post as House majority whip but become an assistant leader, a position that will now be fourth in the leadership structure.

Jeffries, a lawyer, is from central Brooklyn, the epicenter of New York’s Democratic power. He is a self-described progressive who has forged relationships with Democratic establishment figures in Washington while navigating the ascending left in his backyard.

He took office in 2013 and has been chair of the House Democratic Caucus, a leadership post, since 2019. In that role, he has been the youngest member of leadership.

With the moves on Thursday, House Democrats were on the cusp of significant generational change — from octogenarians such as Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn, to Jeffries; Clark, 59; and Aguilar, 43. Leadership elections are the week of Nov. 28, and the party appeared unified behind the new slate.

In an interview with the Atlantic last year, Jeffries described where he fit into in today’s political landscape, saying, “I’m a Black progressive Democrat concerned with addressing racial and social and economic injustice with the fierce urgency of now.” He added, “There will never be a moment where I bend the knee to hard-left democratic socialism.”

Jeffries, a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton, Georgetown and New York University Law School, was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 2006, after unsuccessfully challenging a Democratic incumbent favored by the Brooklyn Democratic machine, Roger Green. After Jeffries lost an earlier challenge to Green, Democratic lawmakers promptly redrew the assembly district to exclude Jeffries’s home at the time.

The blatant move to stifle a young, striving political talent became the subject of a documentary in 2010 about gerrymandering. In that film, Jeffries was the reform-minded politician challenging the establishment.

Jeffries was elected to Congress in 2012 after longtime Rep. Ed Towns abruptly announced that he would not seek reelection. Jeffries was widely expected to win after Towns’s departure but suddenly faced a primary challenge from Charles Barron, a Black Panther and longtime officeholder in New York. The fear that Brooklyn could send Barron to Congress prompted a national effort by establishment Democrats to support Jeffries, which proved successful.

Once in Congress, Jeffries represented not only a mix of liberal and establishment politics, but also youthful Brooklyn swagger.

He once paid tribute to the slain rapper from his district, Christopher Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G. Jeffries called Wallace “the classic embodiment of the American Dream.”

He invoked several of the rapper’s stage names in 2017, adding: “Biggie Smalls, Frank White, the king of New York. He died 20 years ago today in a tragedy that occurred in Los Angeles. But his words live on forever.”

Then Jeffries rapped lyrics from one of the rapper’s most celebrated songs, “Juicy”: “It was all a dream/ I used to read Word Up magazine/ Salt-N-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine/ Hangin’ pictures on my wall/ Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl.”

In 2015, Jeffries considered running for mayor of New York City, as the Democratic mayor at the time, Bill de Blasio, failed to deliver on his campaign promise of wholesale changes to the city’s widely criticized policing tactics.

In 2020, Jeffries served as an impeachment manager in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, a reflection of Pelosi’s trust in him.

Jeffries also helped sharpen Democrats’ message as he frequently hit the campaign trail and was available for interviews with reporters.

In 2020, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called for Joe Biden to suspend his presidential campaign during the Senate trial of Trump. When a reporter asked Jeffries about McCarthy’s comment, Jeffries, the New York Times wrote, simply replied, “Who?”

If elected Democratic leader, Jeffries will find himself tangling with McCarthy, who is seeking the speakership in next year’s Republican-controlled House.

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Nancy Pelosi to discuss future after GOP wins House

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi waves after being elected as the first woman speaker in 2007. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a towering figure in American politics with a history-making legacy of shattering glass ceilings as the first and so far only woman to be speaker of the US House of Representatives.

She was first elected speaker in 2007 and served in the role until 2011, when Democrats lost control of the House. In 2019, she was again elected speaker after Democrats won back the House from Republicans.

A small, but vocal, faction of Democrats initially worked to derail Pelosi’s bid to become the next speaker following the 2018 midterm elections, but she ultimately secured the votes needed to reclaim the title. Ahead of the final vote, Pelosi deployed her deal-making abilities and negotiated an agreement with some of the Democrats who had been lobbying to block her from the speakership. As part of the agreement, Pelosi backed a proposal to enact term limits for the party’s top three leaders. The 2018 deal was an informal agreement, however, and caucus rules were never changed imposing any time limits on her tenure.

Nancy Pelosi celebrates on election night in San Francisco, California, in 1987. (Eric Luse/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)

Pelosi was first elected to the House in 1987, when she won a special election to fill a seat representing California’s 5th Congressional District. Over the years, she has earned a reputation as a powerful and formidable leader of House Democrats who has exerted significant influence and a tight grip over members of her caucus.

She has also been a fierce adversary to Republicans in Congress and in the White House, and Republicans have made her a high-profile target of criticism by their party.

When she was first elected speaker, Pelosi reflected on the significance of the event and what it meant for women in the United States.

“This is an historic moment,” she said in a speech after accepting the speaker’s gavel. “It’s an historic moment for the Congress. It’s an historic moment for the women of America.”

Read more about Pelosi and her political career here.

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Nancy Pelosi to announce ‘future plans’ after GOP wins House

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WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to address her plans with colleagues on Thursday in the wake of Democrats narrowly losing control of the House to Republicans in the midterm elections.

Pelosi’s decision to either seek another term as the Democratic leader or to step aside has been widely anticipated. It would come after the party was able to halt an expected Republican wave in the House and the Senate but also in the aftermath of a brutal attack on her husband, Paul, late last month by an intruder in their San Francisco home.

She is expected to open the House at noon and then deliver remarks, her office said.

“The Speaker plans to address her future plans tomorrow to her colleagues. Stay tuned,” Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill tweeted late Wednesday.

The speaker took home two versions of her speech overnight for review.

The speaker “has been overwhelmed by calls from colleagues, friends and supporters,” Hammill said, and noted that she had spent Wednesday evening monitoring election returns in the final states where ballots were still being counted.

The California Democrat, who rose to become the nation’s first woman to wield the speaker’s gavel, is a pivotal figure in U.S. politics.

By announcing her decision, Pelosi could launch a domino effect in House Democratic leadership ahead of internal party elections next month as Democrats reorganize for their new role as the minority party in the new Congress.

Pelosi’s leadership team, with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Democratic Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina, has long moved as a triumvirate. Hoyer and Clyburn are also making decisions about their futures.

All now in their 80s, the three House Democratic leaders have faced restless colleagues eager for them to step aside and allow a new generation to take charge.

Democrats Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Rep. Pete Aguilar of California have similarly moved as a trio at times, all working toward leadership roles themselves.

First elected to the House in 1987, Pelosi has long been ridiculed by Republicans as a San Francisco liberal while steadily rising as a skilled legislator and fundraising powerhouse. Her own Democratic colleagues have intermittently appreciated but also feared Pelosi’s powerful brand of leadership.

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