Democrat House speaker Nancy Pelosi has been lambasted by a Texas congresswoman for appearing to “push” her young daughter during a photo op.
Newly sworn-in congresswoman Mayra Flores made the allegation on Twitter following her swearing-in ceremony at the US Capitol last week, during which she and her daughter posed alongside Ms Pelosi.
A video shared among conservatives on Twitter at the weekend appeared to suggest the Democrat had “pushed” Ms Flores’s daughter, although it was not clear in the video if contact was made.
“I am so proud of my strong, beautiful daughter for not allowing this to faze her,” the Republican told her followers on Twitter on Sunday.
“She continued to smile and pose for the picture like a Queen,” added Ms Flores. “No child should be pushed to the side for a photo op. PERIOD!!”
Other conservatives had also made the accusation against Ms Pelosi, with outspoken Hollywood actor and producer James Woods tweeting: “I love this princess stood her ground, while Nancy showed her true colours.”
The video was earlier shared by a pro-Republican account called “ ‘Face’ of America”, who wrote: “Nancy tried to bully Mayra Flores’ Daughter, but our little queen stood her ground!!”
Ms Flores was elected to the House earlier this month, representing Texas’s 34th congressional district after Democrat Rep Filemon Vela resigned from Congress to work for a lobbying company.
Her victory has been hailed by Republicans as another symbol of Latino communities swinging away from the Democratic Party, with greater proportions of Latinos backing Republican candidates in local and state elections, as well for former US president Donald Trump in 2020.
During the swearing-in ceremony, Ms Pelosi said it was “a great honour to welcome “ Ms Flores – who describes herself as being “ProGod, ProLife, ProFamily, and Pro-America” – to the US Capitol and Congress and welcomed her “leadership and her beautiful family who is here today.”
The Independent has approached Ms Pelosi’s office for comment.
