Ocasio-Cortez Blasts Pelosi: She’s Trying To Make Me Work!

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Now, the former bartender who has been in Congress for six months thinks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is giving her busywork to keep her out of the spotlight.



In a Wednesday interview on WNYC’s “New Yorker Hour,” Ocasio-Cortez said “I was assigned to some of the busiest committees and four subcommittees.”

“So my hands are full. And sometimes I wonder if they’re trying to keep me busy,” she said of Democratic leaders.

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GrabienNews ran a transcript of Ocasio-Cortez’s comments:

HOST: “What’s your relationship like with Nancy Pelosi. Tell me how that works, what are the dynamics of it?”

OCASIO-CORTEZ: “You know, I think sometimes people think that we have this — like we have a relationship.” (Laughter)

HOST: “Are you saying you don’t?”

OCASIO-CORTEZ: “Not, not particularly, not one that’s I think distinguished from anyone else. Like if there’s a legislative need, you know. The last time I kind of spoke to her one on one was when she asked me to join the Select Committee on Climate Change.”

HOST: “What did you say.”

OCASIO-CORTEZ: “I said no.” (Laughter)

HOST: “Why?”

OCASIO-CORTEZ: “Because I had made very specific requests which I thought were rather reasonable for the Select Committee on Climate Change. I asked that it have a mission to try to draft legislation by 2020 so that — so that we essentially have a 2 year mission to put together whether it’s a Green New Deal or whether it’s some sweeping climate change legislation that — that the select committee have a legislative mission. I asked for it to have subpoena power which most committees do. The last — the last select committee had subpoena power but now this one doesn’t. And I asked for the members who sit on the select committee to not take any fossil fuel money. And none of those requests were accommodated, and so I didn’t join the committee.”

HOST: “Are you better on the outside looking in or the inside looking out?” [crosstalk]

OCASIO-CORTEZ: “I think — I think I’m better on the outside looking in, on this issue.”

HOST: “Why is that?”

OCASIO-CORTEZ: “Because given that none of those standards were met sitting on that committee I would have to own anything — I would take responsibility for anything that comes out of that committee. And when the actual my opinion, the structure of it, is compromised in very deep ways, you know it’s not — I don’t think it was like I’m going to take my ball and go home, it’s we have a select committee whose mission — I’m — I was uncertain on who’s members take fossil fuel money. You know it’s — it’s beyond just a mere disagreement I think there’s a structural problem with it. And so — and there are plenty of other caucuses as well that work on climate issues. So I think — I think that that ultimately I’m fine with the decision especially given the committee assignments that I was ultimately given, which were very intense and very rigorous. I was assigned to two of some of the busiest committees and four subcommittees so my hands are full, and sometimes I want to they’re trying to keep me busy.” (Laughter)

For her part, Peolsi said Wednesday that she has “no regrets” about criticizing AOC and the other three progressive freshman members of her party.

“I have no regrets about anything,” she said. “Regrets are not what I do.”

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