Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House, is losing ground to other members of the House in terms of influence and authority. She presided over the House twice.
Rep. Anna Eshoo, a longtime ally and fellow Californian whose district included Silicon Valley, is retiring at the age of 80 after serving in Washington, D.C. for the majority of the previous 30 years.
In a video that she shared on social media, Eshoo declared, “I’m very proud of the body of bipartisan work I’ve been able to achieve on your behalf in Congress as the first woman and the first Democrat to ever represent our district.” “With renewed energy and unwavering dedication to you, I will continue my work as my final year in Congress draws near.”
Eshoo also highlighted a breakfast she recently attended with Pelosi and members of Congress at an event in the Golden State, as her exit — and Pelosi’s, at some point in the near future — represents another step toward irrelevancy within the Democratic Party as a newer, more left-wing faction, takes over.
Following the earlier announcement of her retirement by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), 73, Eshoo “is the second longtime ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to depart Congress,” according to Politico.
Furthermore, after ten years in the House, Representative Tony Cárdenas, a Democrat from California, has declared that he will not be running for office again, according to Roll Call. 31 sitting lawmakers in total, consisting of 10 Republicans and 21 Democrats, have said they will not be seeking reelection in this cycle.
“Seats held by Cárdenas and Eshoo are in districts that lean Democratic. However, a contest to succeed Eshoo as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will also be sparked by her retirement. Cardenas and Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., were next in line and are both retiring, according to Roll Call.
Pelosi received a subpoena in California at the beginning of last month “to produce documents in a criminal case.”
In a statement that “was read by the House Clerk, which is standard when a member is issued a subpoena related to a civil or criminal matter,” Pelosi reportedly notified the House of Representatives about the subpoena, according to Fox News.
“The Honourable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita and U.S. Representative for the 11th Congressional District of California, has been served with third party subpoenas from the prosecution and the defendant to produce documents in a criminal case and United States District Court for the Northern District of California,” the statement reads. “This is to notify you formally pursuant to Rule Eight of the rules of the House of Representatives,” Pelosi said.
“After conferring with the Office of General Counsel, I have concluded that, to the extent that the subpoenas call for the submission of non-privileged information, compliance with them is consistent with the House’s privileges. The statement went on, “The responses to the subpoenas will be the same.”
Pelosi’s staff declined to comment on the legal issue, according to Fox. The subpoena, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the outlet, is related to David DePape’s trial, which is scheduled for that fall. DePape is the man who attacked Paul Pelosi, the wife’s husband, in their San Francisco mansion during a violent break-in last year. Since then, he has been convicted guilty on all charges pertaining to the incident.