'Pelosi was a more effective House speaker': Nancy Mace reveals the 'hard truth Republicans don't want to hear'



Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina gave her Republican colleagues a reality check, expressing deep frustrations with the state of GOP leadership in Congress.

Mace penned an op-ed in the New York Times on Monday criticizing the GOP leadership on Capitol Hill, calling out Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) by name.

'Here’s a hard truth Republicans don’t want to hear.'

Mace conceded that Johnson is a better choice than former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), whom she voted to oust back in 2023, but argued that the most effective congressional leader is actually on the opposite side of the political spectrum.

"Speaker Mike Johnson is better than his predecessor," Mace said. "But the frustrations of being a rank-and-file House member are compounded as certain individuals or groups remain marginalized within the party, getting little say."

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Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Mace said Republicans don't take women in office seriously, implying that the conference chair position was a slot informally reserved for the "token" female in GOP leadership.

"Women will never be taken seriously until leadership decides to take us seriously, and I’m no longer holding my breath," Mace said. "Since 2013, the Republican conference chair position has gone to a woman. It’s the token slot, the designated leadership role for the top woman in the conference, while the real power lies in other offices."

One woman Mace admitted was a force to be reckoned with is former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whose leadership style Mace deemed more effective than that of the GOP.

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Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"Here’s a hard truth Republicans don’t want to hear: Nancy Pelosi was a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century," Mace said. "I agree with her on essentially nothing. But she understood something we don’t: No majority is permanent."

"When Democrats hold the majority, they ram through the most progressive policies they can. They deliver for the coalition that elected them while they are in power.

"Republicans do the opposite. ... We pass the most moderate policies we can pressure conservatives to accept, betraying the coalition that delivered us here," Mace continued.

"Ms. Pelosi was ruthless, but she got things done."

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'Canary in a coal mine': Ousted speaker warns against the rising risk of GOP House resignations



Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) warned that political breakups might become more commonplace in the Republican Party.

McCarthy's prediction comes after Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia announced that she will retire from the House in January before finishing her congressional term. This announcement followed a public falling-out with longtime ally President Donald Trump.

'I've found Marjorie to be very effective.'

Despite being one of Trump's most loyal supporters on Capitol Hill, Greene said their falling-out was over her commitment to releasing the Epstein files, which the White House later supported. Other reports suggested that the split came after the White House squashed Greene's political aspirations beyond the House of Representatives.

"She's leaving Congress, but I don't think that's the end that you'll see about her," McCarthy said.

RELATED: Marjorie Taylor Greene calls it quits after 'traitor' branding by Trump

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"I've always believed that any time you have an elected official that's known by three initials, they're effective on what they do," McCarthy added. "And I've found Marjorie to be very effective."

McCarthy, who is all too familiar with having one's political career cut short by MAGA world, said Greene's resignation may be the first of many unless Congress changes course.

"She's almost like a canary in a coal mine," McCarthy said. "And this is something inside Congress. They better wake up, because they're going to get a lot of people retiring, and they gotta focus."

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Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

McCarthy also noted that the infighting ultimately takes away from a very small window of time in which Republicans hold the ultimate political advantage: a trifecta majority.

"I think keeping members out of Congress, you only get two years to be in the majority," McCarthy said. "And if the Democrats get you not to work every day for two months, that's losing two months of the majority."

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Nancy Pelosi announces retirement after nearly 4 decades in Congress



Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that she will not seek re-election after nearly four decades serving in Congress.

Pelosi was first elected to the House in 1987 to represent California and eventually became the first female speaker of the House. Pelosi served as speaker from 2007 to 2011 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and again from 2019 to 2023 under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

A successor has not been named.

"For decades, I've cherished the privilege of representing our magnificent city in the United States Congress," Pelosi said in a video posted on X.

"That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know," Pelosi said. "I will not be seeking re-election to Congress."

RELATED: California Republicans sue to stop Newsom's redistricting scheme — he responds: 'Good luck, losers'

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Although she has announced she will step aside after this term, a successor has not been named to run to represent California's 11th District.

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Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative," Pelosi said.

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'He was an FBI informant': Speaker Johnson makes puzzling claim about Trump and Epstein



With Congress back in session after the August recess, pressure has once again been mounting for more answers surrounding the Epstein case. In a surprise moment during an interview, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) claimed Trump's disgust with Epstein's actions dates back decades — and involved an "FBI informant."

In a walking interview with CNN reporter Manu Raju on Friday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addressed concerns over the Epstein files and the efforts of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) for disclosure.

'When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.'

Speaker Johnson criticized Massie and his "antics," claiming that Massie's "attacks" were "totally unfounded." Massie has led the charge in pushing for disclosure of the Epstein files in the form of a discharge petition.

Johnson called the discharge petition "mooted" and "not necessary," adding that six women who came forward on Thursday "represent as many as a thousand other women, most of whom are not comfortable coming forward."

RELATED: Thomas Massie leads pressure campaign, forcing Congress to address Epstein

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The reporter pressed him on Trump's calling the Epstein debacle a "hoax," leading to an unexpected statement.

"I've talked to him about this many times. ... It's been misrepresented. He's not saying what Epstein did is a hoax. ... It's a terrible, unspeakable evil. He believes that himself," Johnson said. "When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down."

It is not clear whom Speaker Johnson was referring to as an "FBI informant." However, it is not publicly confirmed whether Trump or Epstein ever worked in this capacity for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Blaze News contacted Speaker Johnson's office and the White House but did not receive a response.

This is a developing story.

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Progressive Primary Challengers Snub Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker as Dem Infighting Escalates

Left-wing Democratic primary challengers are refusing to back House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) for speaker, as grassroots Democrats have started turning on their party's leaders.

The post Progressive Primary Challengers Snub Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker as Dem Infighting Escalates appeared first on .

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One Of DC's Biggest Neocons Just Got Toppled — What Really Happened?

Democrats overwhelmingly vote against Laken Riley Act



The House passed the Laken Riley Act on Tuesday, with a majority of Democrats voting against the bill.

The Laken Riley Act is the first bill in the 119th Congress addressing illegal immigration, requiring that aliens charged with theft or burglary be detained. The landmark legislation was named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was brutally murdered by an illegal alien while she was jogging at the University of Georgia.

Despite the overwhelming resistance from 159 Democrats, 48 voted with 216 Republicans to pass the legislation.

'President Biden never apologized to Laken's family for allowing her killer into our country, but he DID apologize for calling that monster an illegal.'

The bill was also passed in the House during the 118th Congress, with 170 Democrats voting against it. Notably, 37 Democrats joined 214 Republicans to pass the bill.

Speaker Mike Johnson praised the legislation, saying it will "ensure criminals like Laken's murderer are detained & deported before they can commit such evil acts."

"President Biden never apologized to Laken's family for allowing her killer into our country, but he DID apologize for calling that monster an illegal," Johnson added.

Under President Joe Biden's administration, there have been over 8 million encounters with illegal migrants on the southern border alone. As a result, illegal immigration has exacerbated the housing crisis and flooded communities with criminals, all at the cost of the taxpayer.

Supporters of former U.S. president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump hold images of Laken Riley before he speaks at a "Get Out the Vote" rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images

"This isn’t a partisan issue, but those on the Left will continue to prioritize 'political correctness' over American lives," Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona said.

After enduring four years of the Biden administration's burdensome border crisis, Americans rejected the Democratic Party at the ballot box.

Leading up to the presidential election, immigration had become a top priority for voters. President-elect Donald Trump spent his campaign addressing illegal immigration as a crisis and vowing mass deportations. At the same time, Trump's Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, avoided the topic altogether.

The message on November 5 was loud and clear, and Congress took note.

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How Trump's 'Midas touch' shepherds the Republican Party



After President-elect Donald Trump swept all seven swing states and the popular vote on November 5, the Republican Party has largely fallen behind his MAGA mandate.

Although Trump has become the face of the Republican Party, some defectors have required the shepherding of the president-elect in order to effectively implement this MAGA mandate.

While Republicans control both the executive and the legislative branches, the narrow majorities in the House and Senate have left the GOP with very little wiggle room to implement Trump's policy agenda. But where pressure is needed, pressure has been applied, and it has worked.

It's becoming increasingly clear that Trump is the only Republican with the Midas touch of political viability.

One of the earliest examples of Trump's effective pressure campaign was when Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa withheld from formally endorsing Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and veteran who was nominated to head the Department of Defense. Ernst, who focuses much of her advocacy towards victims of sexual abuse in the military, privately expressed reservations about Hegseth, who was facing several allegations, including sexual misconduct. Importantly, Hegseth and many of his former colleagues have firmly denied these allegations.

After the pair first met on Capitol Hill, sources close to the Senate confirmed to Blaze News that Ernst had begun lobbying against Hegseth's nomination. One source told Blaze News that Ernst lends her ear to the old guard, establishment Republicans in the Senate, serving as a "useful proxy" for former leader Mitch McConnell.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (C) walks through the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on December 3, 2024 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Once reports shed light on Ernst's disapproval of Hegseth, the Trump world launched an online pressure campaign to sway the senator. Trump even threatened to primary Republican senators who withheld support from his Cabinet nominees. Ernst quickly caved to the pressure, warming up to Hegseth and leaning into more of the MAGA message.

At the same time, this was not an isolated incident. During the December funding fight on the House side, Trump put his thumb on the scale to produce a more favorable outcome.

Speaker Mike Johnson initially introduced a bloated 1,547-page continuing resolution just days before the government was set to shut down, prompting outrage from fiscal conservatives in the Republican conference. MAGA allies like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy also chimed in and criticized the funding bill. However, Trump's condemnation of the CR was the final blow.

Johnson quickly returned to the drawing board and made as many amendments as Trump demanded. The amended CR went up for a vote but was struck down due to a provision that raised the debt ceiling, one of Trump's demands. Despite this, the House eventually passed the slimmer 116-page CR that omitted the debt ceiling provision, averting a government shutdown.

Despite some blunders, Johnson has secured Trump's blessing.

Shortly after the end-of-year spending fight, Johnson was facing a challenging reelection to the speakership. Ahead of the January 3 election, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky vowed to vote against Johnson, who could only afford one "no vote" given the GOP's historically slim margins. Despite Trump's endorsement of the Speaker, several other fiscal conservatives also expressed hesitancies about reelecting Johnson.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a press conference at Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on April 12, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

While the election was taking place, seven Republicans initially refrained from voting for Johnson altogether. Among them was Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a staunch fiscal conservative who, along with Massie, endorsed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential primary. Although Roy had previously defected from Trump, he eventually changed his vote to Johnson because of his "steadfast support of President Trump."

This left Johnson with a total of three defections. Massie voted for Majority Whip Tom Emmer, which remained unchanged in the final vote tally. Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina officially voted for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Rep. Keith Self of Texas voted for Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida.

At this point, Johnson had come up two votes short of securing a second term. Rather than moving on to a second round of voting, which has historically lost votes for candidates, Johnson, Norman, Self, and other Republicans huddled in a room off of the House floor.

In order to secure another political victory, Trump reportedly called Norman and Self in order to sway their votes. Just minutes later, the two defectors approached the clerk and voted for Johnson, securing his speakership in just one round of votes.

It's becoming increasingly clear that Trump is the only Republican with the Midas touch of political viability.

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