Former Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) offered a tearful tribute to current Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at the unveiling of her official speaker’s portrait.
Boehner got emotional as he reflected on his relationship with Pelosi as leaders of opposing parties, saying they “disagreed on many political things over the years, but we were never disagreeable to each other.” Boehner was speaker between 2011 and 2015, when he resigned after a year of friction with the newly formed House Freedom Caucus.
NANCY PELOSI BLAMED ‘WHITE MALE THING’ FOR DEMOCRATS LOSING HOUSE IN 2010
“You’ve been unfailingly gracious to me, my family, and, frankly, my team here in Washington,” Boehner said while choking up at the Wednesday ceremony at the Capitol. “Madam Speaker, I have to say, my girls told me, ‘Tell the speaker how much we admire her.’ So if you couldn’t tell, my girls are Democrats. You were so gracious to me, in fact, that sometimes it got me in trouble with my own members.”
Boehner lauded Pelosi’s tenure in leadership, recalling how she remained amiable even away from the cameras during private moments.
“No other speaker of the House in the modern era, Republican or Democrat, has wielded the gavel with such authority or such consistent results,” he said. “Let me just say, you’re one tough cookie.”
His emotion echoed those at his own portrait unveiling in 2019, where he shed tears as Pelosi and others honored his service. Some of the speakers joked that his tears were typical, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) saying Boehner had “always worn his heart right on his sleeve.”
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Pelosi is stepping down from leadership at the end of the session but will remain in Congress as a rank-and-file member.
A similar situation that led to Boehner’s resignation seven years ago may be heating up again as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) negotiates with five Republicans aligned with the Freedom Caucus who have either said or strongly indicated that they won’t support his speakership bid. With a four-seat majority, they could prevent him from taking the gavel.
