Pelosi downplays differences with OcasioCortez
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is downplaying any differences with highprofile progressive lawmaker Alexandria OcasioCortez, saying she had a “nice meeting” Friday with the social media dynamo who’s made some tart observations about Democratic leadership.
Pelosi told reporters that “I don’t think we have that many differences” despite some sharp words back and forth recently with “AOC,” as she’s referred to by her 4.9 million followers on Twitter.
Corbin Trent, a spokesman for OcasioCortez, said, “It was a very positive and productive meeting about progressive priorities.”
OcasioCortez recently criticized Pelosi, saying she felt the Democratic leader had been “outright disrespectful” by “the explicit singling out of newly elected women of color” for criticism. Pelosi had remarked that OcasioCortez and a cohort of other progressives were just four votes in a large Democratic caucus.
Pelosi declined to respond to OcasioCortez’s criticisms. She said she has meetings with her colleagues all the time and said they discussed OcasioCortez’s committee work on the Oversight and Reform and Financial Services panels.
OcasioCortez, 29, and Pelosi, 79, are both political dynamos from different generations and life experiences. Pelosi entered elective politics after having five children and rose through a maledominated House of Representatives to its highest post. OcasioCortez rode a wave of progressive sentiment to win a Democratic primary last year over former Rep. Joe Crowley and the weakened Queens Democratic machine.
Democrats have rallied around OcasioCortez and three other progressive freshman women, including Ilhan Omar, DMinn., a Somali immigrant and U.S. citizen, after President Trump tweeted last week that the quartet should “go back” to where they came from.
Progressives like OcasioCortez have sometimes sharp differences with more moderate Democrats hailing from more politically challenging congressional districts, and Pelosi has been protective of the moderates.
A vote last month on a bill to care for migrant refugees flocking to the border created hard feelings between the two sides. Progressives wanted to add provisions preventing Trump from transferring money to toughening border security or buying more beds so authorities could detain more migrants. They also sought language strengthening requirements for how migrants are cared for.