IS THIS NUDGY NANCY?
Outrage at vid with rep.'s kid
Nancy Pelosi found herself in the middle of a p.r. nightmare Monday after video emerged of the House speaker appearing to shove aside a GOP congresswoman’s young daughter — as her spokesman insisted the top Democrat was merely trying to make sure the little girl “wouldn’t be hidden.”
Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas), accused Pelosi of the “push” late Sunday after the video, which was recorded at the congresswoman’s swearing-in ceremony last week, was shared on social media.
“No child should be pushed to the side for a photo op. PERIOD!!” Flores captioned a retweet of the video.
“I am so proud of my strong, beautiful daughter for not allowing this to faze her,” she said. “She continued to smile and pose for the picture like a Queen.”
The clip shows Pelosi standing alongside Flores’ daughter as the San Francisco Democrat waves over the family’s pastor for a photo during the swearing-in ceremony.
Pelosi could be seen glancing down at the girl and extending her elbow just as the child moves to the side.
The Internet pounces
It isn’t clear if Pelosi’s elbow makes contact with the girl, although a number of conservative commentators accused Pelosi of elbowing Flores’ daughter.
“It’s sad to see ‘news outlets’ that know better misrepresent the Speaker’s effort to ensure Rep. Flores’ daughters wouldn’t be hidden behind her in all of the photos of such an important moment for their family,” Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, wrote on Twitter in response to media coverage of the backand-forth.
Hammill then doubled down and shared additional footage that he said showed Pelosi “graciously greeting Rep. Flores’ children and telling them about the room they are in.”
“I love this princess stood her ground, while Nancy showed her true colors,” actor and conservative social media commentator James Woods tweeted.
Conservative columnist Benny Johnson called Pelosi a “witch” in response to the video.
“Nancy Pelosi ELBOWS the little daughter of new GOP Congresswoman Mayra Flores — what a witch,” he tweeted.
The video at the center of the controversy was recorded at the ceremonial swearing-in Pelosi hosted for Flores on Tuesday.
Flores, 30, became the first Mexican-born member of Congress when she won a special election earlier this month against a Democratic opponent to replace Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas), who retired before the end of his term.