House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s seemingly rude treatment of the preteen daughter of Rep. Mayra Flores just got worse as her staff tried to explain away what she did.
Pelosi stood with the Flores family for a photo op on June 21 after the newly elected Texas Republican congresswoman took her oath of office. But what she did to Flores’ daughter flew under the radar for a few days before people began to notice.
As the speaker was standing between Flores’ husband and the couple’s daughters, the video showed her pushing her bony elbow sharply into the young girl’s shoulder, seemingly shoving her back and away from the photo op.
The child, who is about 10 years old, stood gamely smiling for the photos and appeared unperturbed by the shove.
No one noticed this for a few days, but by the weekend, the video made the rounds on social media and many began commenting on Pelosi’s outrageous behavior.
For her part, Flores, who just won a historically Democratic district in an earthshaking election, took to Twitter on Sunday to note how proud she is of her stalwart daughter for being so gracious and strong in the face of such rudeness.
“I am so proud of my strong, beautiful daughter for not allowing this to faze her,” Flores wrote. “She continued to smile and pose for the picture like a Queen. No child should be pushed to the side for a photo op. PERIOD!!”
I am so proud of my strong, beautiful daughter for not allowing this to faze her. She continued to smile and pose for the picture like a Queen.
No child should be pushed to the side for a photo op. PERIOD!! https://t.co/TA50EntDoq
— Mayra Flores For Congress 🇺🇸🦅 (@MayraFlores2022) June 27, 2022
A look at the video shows Pelosi seemingly pushing the Flores girl away from the focal point of the photo op. So the “explanation” of her actions that came on Monday seemed a bit hard to believe.
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Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff posted a tweet excoriating the media for “misrepresenting” the speaker’s actions — and his claim about what she was “really” doing defies logic.
“It’s sad to see ‘news outlets’ that know better misrepresent the Speaker’s effort to ensure Rep. Flores’ daughters wouldn’t be hidden behind her in all of the photos of such an important moment for their family,” staffer Drew Hammill wrote.
It’s sad to see “news outlets” that know better misrepresent the Speaker’s effort to ensure Rep. Flores’ daughters wouldn’t be hidden behind her in all of the photos of such an important moment for their family. https://t.co/Dm0oXtwF7V pic.twitter.com/KDyI4MfaOj
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) June 27, 2022
If Pelosi was trying to “ensure” that the child was better seen during the photo op, the speaker wouldn’t have been elbowing her away from the center of the scene.
One would think Pelosi would have put her arm around the girl and brought her forward if she intended to help stop the girl from being hidden from the cameras.
Instead, the 82-year-old Democrat appeared to elbow the child back and away from the center of the scene.
For all of Pelosi’s braying about “the children, the children,” she sure didn’t seem very interested in the comfort of Mayra Flores’ daughter on that momentous day for the girl’s family.
You may also notice that Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff didn’t even offer a perfunctory apology if anyone was offended.
Worse, the speaker herself has refused to even comment, and now it’s been a full week since she rudely jostled the young girl.
One moment of humor did come out of the incident, though.
When Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy posted a slow-motion video of Pelosi’s rude elbow move with Flores’ daughter suddenly transforming into a certain theatrical NBA star, Flores replied, “Except my daughter didn’t flop like LeBron James!!”
Except my daughter didn’t flop like LeBron James!!
— Mayra Flores For Congress 🇺🇸🦅 (@MayraFlores2022) June 27, 2022
Many, however, were outraged by Pelosi’s behavior:
Nancy Pelosi ELBOWS the little daughter of new GOP Congresswoman Mayra Flores — what a witch. pic.twitter.com/nTLrUhEJbp
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 26, 2022
Pelosi isn’t just a drunk, she’s a genuinely horrible person. https://t.co/xUpdWuumht
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) June 26, 2022
Nancy Pelosi ELBOWS the little daughter of new GOP Congresswoman Mayra Flores — what a witch.
Rep. Mayra Flores response is pure 🔥🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/lui7BRhDCJ
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 27, 2022
Pelosi is such a witch. She’s 100 years old and shoving little children. https://t.co/illYartowZ
— Lisa Boothe 🇺🇸 (@LisaMarieBoothe) June 27, 2022
Pelosi knocks a Hispanic child, her hubby is charged with DUI, and we discover our @potus was funding Hunter’s Russian escorts. Just another week in the Democrat Party.
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) June 27, 2022
As harsh as those comments are, Pelosi’s actions — and her staff’s explanation — sure don’t look good.
