In an interview following last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol building, Nancy Pelosi nabbed an opportunity to shade Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during an interview with 60 Minutes. The tension between Pelosi and AOC has been part of an ongoing struggle between younger Democrats in Congress and the significantly older party leadership. However, those tensions seem to cool recently after AOC and the members of the Squad voted to re-elect Pelosi as Speaker of the House despite AOC previously saying that Pelosi needed to step down. In return, The Squad members were given more prominent committee assignments.
In Pelosi’s defense, the AOC shade popped up after 60 Minutes‘ Lesley Stahl broached the subject of age — or the “A-word,” as Stahl called it — during the final moments of an interview on last week’s Capitol attack. Via CBS News:
Lesley Stahl: Why does AOC complain that you have not been grooming younger people for leadership?
Nancy Pelosi: I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her– because we are.
Lesley Stahl: Why does AOC complain that you have not been grooming younger people for leadership?
Speaker Pelosi: I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her– because we are. https://t.co/rdhe47lbw3 pic.twitter.com/fl1v1d5zTS
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 11, 2021
When Stahl noted that Pelosi’s response was “kind of sharp” and dismissive of AOC’s concerns, Pelosi qualified her response and made it clear that she supports the next generation of Democratic leaders. “I’m not dismissing her. I respect her,” Pelosi said. “I think she’s very effective as are other– many other members in our caucus that the press doesn’t pay attention to. But they are there and they are building support for what comes next.”
You can see Pelosi talk AOC at the 11:32 mark: