Nancy Pelosi on Spkr Boehner’s resignation: “The whole idea that the speaker is resigning is a sign of the disarray of the Republican Party”
Today on CNN’s State of the Union, Democratic Party Leader, Nancy Pelosi, joined anchor, Jake Tapper in an exclusive interview.
For more information, see http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/. Also, text highlights and a transcript of the discussion are below.
MANDATORY CREDIT: CNN’s “State of the Union”
Nancy Pelosi on State of the Union: Full Interview
Pelosi: Probe anti-abortion group over videos
Pelosi: Boehner is ‘a very fine person’
TEXT HIGHLIGHTS
Democratic Party Leader, Nancy Pelosi reacts to Speaker John Boehner’s resignation: “The whole idea that the speaker is resigning is a sign of the disarray of the Republican Party. …Know one thing, I have respect for my colleagues, I respect the people who send them here, I respect the fact that their caucus elected them to a leadership position, so John Boehner is a very fine person, he had his glorious moment with the Pope coming this week, he is a devout Catholic, we can agree to disagree without being negative about each other – But, I don’t know if I’ll miss him, but here one day, we just work. We just work. We barely have time for our close friends and some of our close friends are across the aisle. But it depends on what comes next.”
Pelosi responds to Senator Ted Cruz’s recent comments and denies cutting a deal with Boehner: “No, I wish that were true, except I don’t know about the K Street cushy job, but I wish the rest of it were true, but of course not. All we have agreed is that we have to honor the calendar which says that on September 30th the fiscal year ends and we have to have a continued resolution to take us forward as we prepare for our omnibus bill which will take us thought the next year.”
Pelosi on the Pope’s historic address to Congress: “It was interesting when he talked about the sanctity of life. We can all stand up and applaud that. But he spent a longer time talking about abolishing the death penalty. The opposite end of the issues that the bishops advocate for.”
Pelosi explains how she and the Pope clash on the issue of abortion: “For me as a mother of five when my husband and I brought our baby home from the hospital our fifth child, our oldest was turning six that week, and it was a beautiful wonderful thing for us, but it’s not up to us to decide that it’s a beautiful wonderful thing for other people, the size and timing of their family is a personal decision not a political decision, and so this issue is not just about terminating a pregnancy, it’s about family planning and that is the fight in Congress, people don’t know that. They think it’s just about one thing.”
Pelosi questions whether Planned Parenthood videos are real and calls for an investigation: “I’ve seen some news reports of it, but I also know that some of it is not real and you can create any reality that you want. …I think they should be investigated. As to how they obtained those and doctored those and had them be accepted as something that was an indictment against Planned Parenthood because that’s not true.”
Pelosi defends Planned Parenthood: “Well I think that Planned Parenthood has excellent leadership. Cecile Richards, the president, is a spectacular leader in our country. I do think that Planned Parenthood is many people that consist of many state organizations and some of them not as, how shall I say, aware of the assault that was going to be made on them and they spoke in a way that could be misinterpreted.”
Pelosi on whether she believes Hillary Clinton will be the 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee and how she believes the Democrats are on a “path” to take the House back: “Yeah, I do. I, myself, I have my own political responsibility which is to elect as many Democrats as possible to the Congress so we don’t have a Congress that we don’t have a Congress of obstruction. …When we took it back in 2006, nobody thought we were going to take it back in 2005. So I don’t know. I am not saying that we will. I am just saying we’re on a path. I think we’re two-thirds of the way there. But we have many good candidates. And that’s why I think it would be good to have more debates so that people can see in a much more civil setting, the debate among Democrats about how we go forward.”
FULL TRANSCRIPT
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Leader Pelosi, thanks so much for doing this. We appreciate it. A tsunami of news Friday with Speak Boehner announcing that he’s stepping down you have had a long relationship with him, you spoke with him, what did he have to say?
DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADER, NANCY PELOSI: The whole idea that the speaker is resigning is a sign of the disarray of the Republican Party.
TAPPER: I’ve heard you speak glowingly of him, I’ve heard you express disappointment as well, are you going to miss him?
PELOSI: Know one thing, I have respect for my colleagues, I respect the people who send them here, I respect the fact that their caucus elected them to a leadership position, so John Boehner is a very fine person, he had his glorious moment with the Pope coming this week, he is a devout Catholic, we can agree to disagree without being negative about each other. But uh yeah, I don’t know if I’ll miss him, but here one day, we just work. We just work. We barely have time for our close friends and some of our close friends are across the aisle. But it depends on what comes next.
TAPPER: Right, you might miss him a lot more if it’s a tougher Republican to deal with. Ted Cruz said Friday that “early reports are discouraging if it is correct that the speaker, before he resigns, has cut a deal with Nancy Pelosi to fund the Obama administration for the rest of its tenure, to fund Obamacare, to fund executive amnesty, to fund Planned Parenthood, to fund implementation of this Iran deal – and then, presumably, to land in a cushy K Street job after joining with the Democrats to implement all of President Obama’s priorities.” Have you cut any deal with Speaker Boehner?
PELOSI: No, I wish that were true, except I don’t know about the K Street cushy job, but I wish the rest of it were true, but of course not. All we have agreed is that we have to honor the calendar which says that on September 30th the fiscal year ends and we have to have a continued resolution to take us forward as we prepare for our omnibus bill which will take us thought the next year.
TAPPER: What was it like at the first-ever address of a Pope to a joint meeting of Congress?
PELOSI: So overwhelming. And so going beyond any expectation. He was just glorious.
TAPPER: So I’m told you have a folder that captures all of your experiences with Popes going back to Pope Pius XII when you were a little girl?
PELOSI: Well when I was a girl in 8th grade, my family went to the Vatican. My father was mayor of Baltimore and our family was in a private audience with Pope Pius XII. It was pretty exciting.
TAPPER: So let’s talk about his message for a second. There was something in there for everyone to like and something for everyone to disagree with. He made his position clear on traditional marriage, on his opposition to abortion. But he chose to emphasize other things
PELOSI: It was interesting when he talked about the sanctity of life. We can all stand up and applaud that. But he spent a longer time talking about abolishing the death penalty. The opposite end of the issues that the bishops advocate for.
TAPPER: How does somebody like you, who is a very strong progressive, but also somebody steeped in Catholic school — how do you reconcile the Pope’s view and the Church’s view of abortion and same-sex marriage to where you are politically which is exactly on the opposite side?
PELOSI: For me as a mother of five when my husband and I brought our baby home from the hospital our fifth child, our oldest was turning six that week, and it was a beautiful wonderful thing for us, but it’s not up to us to decide that it’s a beautiful wonderful thing for other people, the size and timing of their family is a personal decision not a political decision, and so this issue is not just about terminating a pregnancy, it’s about family planning and that is the fight in Congress, people don’t know that. They think it’s just about one thing.
TAPPER: On the subject of since you’re talking about battles in Congress on the subject of Planned Parenthood and attempts to defund Planned Parenthood, have you seen the videos? Is there not anything on the videos that bothers you at all?
PELOSI: No I haven’t seen, I’ve seen some news reports of it, but I also know that some of it is not real and you can create any reality that you want.
TAPPER: So okay, even if you don’t accept the videos on their face-
PELOSI: I think they should be investigated. As to how they obtained those and doctored those and had them be accepted as something that was an indictment against Planned Parenthood because that’s not true.
TAPPER: Well as somebody who feels so strongly about Planned Parenthood and in support of Planned Parenthood, are you at all disappointed in the leadership of Planned Parenthood for letting these cameras in… by being fooled by officials at Planned Parenthood saying things that even Planned Parenthood had to apologize for? For letting these cameras into their labs? It seems like if you support the mission of Planned Parenthood, you might be upset with glibness or a lack of responsibility.
PELOSI: Well I think that Planned Parenthood has excellent leadership. Cecile Richards, the president, is a spectacular leader in our country. I do think that Planned Parenthood is many people that consist of many state organizations and some of them not as, how shall I say, aware of the assault that was going to be made on them and they spoke in a way that could be misinterpreted.
TAPPER: You have said in the past that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party nominee. And there’s no question about it, do you still feel that strongly?
PELOSI: Yeah, I do. I, myself, I have my own political responsibility which is to elect as many Democrats as possible to the Congress so we don’t have a Congress that we don’t have a Congress of obstruction.
TAPPER: She just said that she doesn’t think Democrats are going to take the House back. Hillary Clinton, she said maybe the Senate, but not the House.
PELOSI: Well who knows a year before? When we took it back in 2006, nobody thought we were going to take it back in 2005. So I don’t know. I am not saying that we will. I am just saying we’re on a path. I think we’re two-thirds of the way there. But we have many good candidates. And that’s why I think it would be good to have more debates so that people can see in a much more civil setting, the debate among Democrats about how we go forward.
TAPPER: Great. Thank you so much Leader Pelosi. I really appreciate it.
###END INTERVIEW###