WASHINGTON 鈥� House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a former House Speaker, described Speaker John A. Boehner鈥檚 sudden resignation as 鈥渟eismic for the House鈥� in a news conference Friday morning.
She called the conservative discontent that seemingly inspired it 鈥渁 stark illustration of the disarray of House Republicans鈥� as a federal government shutdown looms 鈥渁nd an illustration of their obsession with shutting down the government at the expense of women鈥檚 health.鈥�
Pelosi聽said she didn鈥檛 get a heads-up that Boehner was resigning. She called his office at about 8:15 a.m. to discuss the shutdown negotiations. She was told he was in a meeting. She proceeded to a breakfast with Chinese and Tibetan dissidents, and was later in caucus discussing the negotiations with fellow Democrats. 鈥淵ou know how it is 鈥� the phones just lit up.鈥�
She聽referred to Pope Francis鈥� visit and speech to Congress on Thursday, calling it 鈥渁 message of hope, peace and dialogue. He challenged us to engage in dialogue to move forward for the American people.鈥� She called the conservative movement against Boehner 鈥渁 sign of the failure of House Republicans鈥� to engage in that dialogue.
President George Washington, Pelosi says, cautioned against 鈥減olitical parties at war with their own government. And that鈥檚 really what we鈥檙e seeing evidence of.鈥�
Former Sen. John Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said much the same to 草莓传媒 on Friday morning.
“John Boehner has been under constant pressure from the far right wing of his party.聽I think the speaker wanted to get things done.
“I think he doesn’t want a government shutdown. I think he was actually willing to do a big budget deal. I think this constant carping from his far right wing took a toll,” Warner said.
Pelosi聽said the current climate isn鈥檛 representative of the Republican Party, which she said 鈥渉as done so much for our country over time.鈥�
She added聽that negotiations to keep the federal government open past Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, were continuing.
鈥淥f course it鈥檚 a distraction; it鈥檚 more than a distraction.鈥�
She says Boehner 鈥渋s the speaker until he gives up the gavel, and so we will continue to negotiate with Speaker Boehner.鈥�
As to who will succeed him, Pelosi said, 鈥測ou and I will find out together.鈥�
鈥淭he American people are even more closely watching what happens here.鈥�
