Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has advised Democratic lawmakers against taking disciplinary action against Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan before the 120th Congress begins.
Pelosi made the remarks on Tuesday while responding to questions about calls for Stevens to be removed from the House Democratic caucus following her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race.
“Well, we have about three more weeks or two more weeks of being in the Congress, so I don’t think we should start making judgments about anybody in the caucus at this point,” Pelosi told reporters.
The former speaker disclosed that she had communicated her disappointment to Stevens over her decision to endorse Rogers against Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed.
However, Pelosi said she wanted to offer support to the Michigan lawmaker in the days following the controversy.
Asked whether Democrats were concerned about Stevens returning to the caucus, amid reports that she planned to align herself with Republicans, Pelosi said the lawmaker should be approached directly about her intentions.
“You’ll just have to ask her that, about what her plans are. But nonetheless, let’s focus on the very positive. This is a great day for our country,” she said, before celebrating the incoming Democratic lawmakers in both chambers of Congress.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is facing several contentious issues as Democrats prepare for the transition into the majority, including how to handle Stevens following her controversial endorsement.
The decision has angered several Democrats, with some demanding disciplinary measures against her.
Jeffries had described Stevens’s endorsement of Rogers as a “terrible decision” and indicated before the Democrats’ sweeping midterm victories that lawmakers would discuss possible next steps when Congress reconvened this week.
The controversy followed Stevens’s late endorsement of Rogers, despite having previously backed El-Sayed after he narrowly defeated her in a contentious Democratic primary earlier in the year.
Stevens has pointed to her disagreements with El-Sayed over US support for Israel as a major reason for her decision to support the Republican candidate.
Her endorsement triggered strong reactions among Michigan and national Democrats, with some accusing her of turning against her party.
Curtis Hertel, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, declared that Stevens was no longer a “current member of the Michigan Democratic Party” and would not be one “in the future.”
However, Stevens stood by her decision last Wednesday, insisting that she had no regrets while apologising for upsetting some of her colleagues and people close to her.
She also called for renewed discussions on “how we build tolerance from viewpoints and embrace one another, especially when we disagree,” in response to allegations of antisemitism within the Democratic Party.
