Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi snapped at “60 Minutes” host Lesley Stahl during an interview that aired on Sunday evening after Stahl pressed Pelosi on her role in holding up COVID-19 relief for months.
“In the election in November, someone said that the mandate that the Democrats won was not about issues, because you lost so many seats,” Stahl said. “That the mandate was for tone and attitude and a strong desire for compromise.”
“I do know that it was a mandate for us to go forward with an agenda for America’s working families — as well as to do so in tone,” Pelosi responded. “We have, I always say to our members, we have a responsibility to find common ground. When we can’t, we must stand our ground, but we have to, we have a responsibility to try.”
Stahl then proceeded to press Pelosi about holding up coronavirus relief for months, which Pelosi said was the Republicans’ fault. Transcript of the exchange:
STAHL: What about the COVID relief package?
PELOSI: Yeah.
STAHL: That was held up for eight months.
PELOSI: Right. But that was their obstruction. Understand this.
STAHL: Well, wait.
PELOSI: Was their obstruction.
STAHL: Yours too.
PELOSI: Their obstruction.
STAHL: No, yours too. Takes two to—
PELOSI: No, it wasn’t obstruction.
STAHL: You held out for eight months.
PELOSI: No, no. We held it up because there was no respect for our heroes, our state and local health care workers, police and fire, our first responders, our sanitation, transportation, food workers, our teachers, our teachers, our teachers. They would not go down that path.
STAHL: There’s a member of your caucus who said specifically that, “We look like obstructionists, and it was a mistake.”
PELOSI: I don’t remember anybody saying that.
WATCH:
CBS's Lesley Stahl calls out Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on 60 Minutes for refusing to compromise with Republicans on coronavirus relief:
"You, yourself are not known as a person who compromises. … You held out for EIGHT months!" pic.twitter.com/712cUvBQH7
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 11, 2021
Stahl then pressed Pelosi about the age of the Democrat leadership in Congress and about criticisms from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), one of the most far-left members of Congress, about Pelosi’s supposed reluctance to train younger Democrats for leadership roles.
Here was that exchange:
STAHL: Can we talk about the A-word?
PELOSI: What’s that?
STAHL: Age.
PELOSI: Oh, age!
STAHL: You’re 80.
PELOSI: Right.
STAHL: Your number two, Steny Hoyer’s 81. Your number three, Jim Clyburn, is 80. Why haven’t you brought young people into the leadership? We’ve—
PELOSI: Because we have. You perhaps don’t know.
STAHL: Why does AOC complain that you have not been grooming younger people for leadership?
PELOSI: I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her — because we are.
STAHL: —that was kind of sharp, kinda dismissing her.
PELOSI: I’m not dismissing her. I respect her. 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.
WATCH:
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