Earnest: ‘People Who Underestimate Nancy Pelosi Do So at Their Own Risk’

‘I don’t think there’s any doubt that she continues to be the kind of effective leader in this Congress, and will be in the upcoming Congress’

Earnest: White House Has Learned "People Who Underestimate Nancy Pelosi Do So At Their Own Risk" (RealClearPolitics)

JUSTIN SINK, THE HILL: I wanted to unpack your answer on Nancy Pelosi. You praised her and said a big reason that she's been so effective working with the president is that more than any other leader on Capitol Hill she is kind of able to rally and whip her party. And I was struck that you said that because of course, yesterday, 50-some Democrats voted against her and with the White House.

And so I am wondering if we're to read out of that what your guys understanding is either that Leader Pelosi wasn't really sincerely kind of against this bill, it was a bit of Kabuki theater that was going on or if there are concerns that if she's been an effective leader that's been able to kind of hammer her party in the past but now we are starting to see cracks and divisions within the House Democrats?

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE: I think there is a lesson that we have learned here at the White House, and I think that it is a lesson that everybody around Washington is probably learned at some point or another during Nancy Pelosi's tenure in Congress which is people who underestimate Nancy Pelosi do so at their own risk. And I don't think there's any doubt that she continues to be the kind of effective leader in this Congress, and will be in the upcoming Congress, that she has been over the last 6 or 8 years.

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