Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is convinced that Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries will be gaveling the U.S. House to order after next year’s midterm elections.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Ms. Pelosi predicted that Democrats will flip control of the lower chamber and that Mr. Jeffries, as speaker, will restore the chamber to its rightful place as a check on President Trump.
“Hakeem Jeffries is ready. He is eloquent. He is respected by the members; he is a unifier,” the retiring California Democrat said.
Asked if she envisions any scenario in which Mr. Jeffries doesn’t become speaker, Ms. Pelosi didn’t hesitate: “None.”
Ms. Pelosi became the first female House speaker in 2007 and reclaimed the post more than a decade later. She has been billed as one of the most consequential speakers in the nation’s history, having helped enact President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, among other initiatives.
She also repeatedly clashed with Mr. Trump.
The 85-year-old announced last month she was not seeking reelection. First elected in 1987, Ms. Pelosi has served nearly 40 years in Congress representing San Francisco.
On Sunday, she said a Jeffries-led House would have all the tools to push back against Mr. Trump, from controlling the purse strings to demanding information from federal agencies that are now keeping lawmakers in the dark.
“It is hard to get something that he will sign because of the problem that he is, but you can hold up some of the things they may put forth,” Ms. Pelosi said.
She also suggested that if Mr. Trump were to face a third impeachment under a Democratic majority, he would have no one to blame but himself.
“Right now, the Republicans in the Congress have abolished the Congress,” she said. “They just do what the president insists that they do.”
“That ends as soon as we have that gavel,” she said.
