After Republican leaders booted Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer from their Capitol hideaway offices this week, some saw it as a step to punish Democrats for refusing to save Kevin McCarthy as his speakership went up in flames.
“Retaliation and ineptitude” is how Rep. Eric Sorensen of Illinois described it, while Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts called it “mean and petty.”
Lawmakers have repeatedly turned their workplace into a political battleground in recent years, clashing over security measures installed after the mob attack of Jan. 6, 2021, such as razor-wire perimeters around the Capitol campus or metal detectors outside the House chamber.
