House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had some harsh words in a recent Newsweek interview, but aides to the former Speaker say the story is “inaccurate.”
“I think you need to talk about how poorly they [the White House] do on message,” Pelosi is quoted as saying in a story by Howard Kurtz. “They can’t see around corners; they anticipate nothing.”
Pelosi’s alleged criticism of the sitting Democratic president represents a political fault line. She is considered the leader of her party’s liberal wing and has worked closely with the White House in passing legislation. Her comments underscore President Obama’s problems with his progressive base. “The left’s dissatisfaction with President Obama is making its way into the Democratic Party’s upper ranks,” writes The Daily Beast, the online arm of Newsweek, in a “Cheat Sheet” post promoting the story.
Aides to the former Speaker, however, say Pelosi was misquoted. “It’s not true,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill told The Daily Caller. “Apparently it was some sort of email exchange between two reporters that got confused, and they attributed the quote to her.”
Daniel Stone, John Solomon, Eleanor Clift, and Lois Romano contributed reporting to the story.
According to Hammill, Newsweek is updating the story. The magazine could not be immediately reached for comment and the article had not been updated as of press time.
UPDATE: An “Editor’s Note” has been posted to the Newsweek piece: “An earlier version of the story included a comment erroneously attributed to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, criticizing the White House’s efforts at political messaging. Newsweek and The Daily Beast regret the error.”