Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office is pushing back on a report alleging that she will seek to become the United States’ ambassador to Italy if Republicans take control of the House of Representatives.
Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo reported Tuesday that Pelosi is angling for the Italian ambassadorship if the GOP picks up the five seats necessary for regaining control of the lower chamber. Pelosi is the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, and her husband, Paul, is the son of Italian immigrants. The U.S. has not had a Senate-confirmed ambassador to Italy since Lewis Eisenberg stepped down at the end of the Trump administration.
A spokesman for Pelosi told the Daily Caller that the report is untrue.
“The Speaker has no interest in this position and has not discussed it with anyone in the White House. This is the second time Maria Bartiromo has proceeded with reporting anonymous rumors about the Speaker’s future that have no merit. And the second time she has failed to ask us for comment before airing or publishing this utter nonsense,” Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, said in a statement.
Monday night, however, Bartiromo attempted to contact a Pelosi spokeswoman for comment on Monday night, according to an email reviewed by the Caller. Hammill suggested that Bartiromo used incorrect contact information when she reached out, but did not confirm to the Caller that the email address in question was incorrect.
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (L) stands at a window overlooking the Piazza del Campo prior to the historical Italian horse race “Palio di Siena” on July 2, 2022 in Siena, Tuscany. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
Journalistic ethics require reporters to reach out to subjects for comment, particularly when those subjects are being “accused or challenged in stories,” according to The Washington Post.
Several outlets reported in October 2021 that President Joe Biden was considering appointing Pelosi as ambassador to the Holy See. Pelosi’s office similarly denied those reports, and Biden ultimately gave the position to former Democratic Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly. (RELATED: Pay-To-Play Ambassadorships Alive And Well Under The Biden Administration: REPORT)
Nancy and Paul Pelosi frequently vacation in Italy, and the ambassadorship to the Mediterranean country is a coveted post often given to supporters of the nominating president. The speaker has visited Italy at least four times on personal and official visits since 2015. Taxpayers paid more than $184,000 for Pelosi and several other Democrats to visit the country in 2015. Despite the visit being an official congressional delegation, four family members reportedly joined Pelosi, and attendees dined at the $190-per-plate James Beard American Restaurant.
Pelosi has served in Congress for 35 years and been the top House Democrat for 19 of them. She is the sixth-longest-serving speaker in U.S. history and holds the record for longest gap between speakerships. Retirement rumors have followed Pelosi for most of the 117th Congress, although she is running for re-election.
Despite a late 2021 push from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to confirm dozens of would-be ambassadors, 45 out of 190 U.S. embassies remain without a head of mission.