WASHINGTON – Everybody, including the woman who is at the center of Washington's latest tempest in a teapot, agrees on this much: The Pentagon was considering a request to give House Speaker Nancy Pelosi access to a bigger Air Force jet than previous speakers had.
From there, the story lines diverge.
Republicans charge that she's trying to abuse the privileges of office. Pelosi, D-San Francisco, denies doing anything wrong and says such slurs could be coming only from the White House.
“It has nothing to do with family and friends and everything to do about security,” Pelosi said yesterday.
Still, it's a potential image problem for the first female speaker – already caricatured by some for her wealth, love of designer clothes and chocolate obsession – to be portrayed as thinking she deserves her own Air Force Three.
Rep. Adam H. Putnam, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Republican Conference, wants an investigation. “It's an extravagance of power the taxpayers won't swallow,” he said.
Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, isn't waiting for an investigation. His group sent out a news release with a photo of a C-32 jet, the military version of Boeing's 757-200 jetliner, and this question: “During a week in which Democrats are pushing a resolution that states, 'it is not in the national interest of the United States to deepen its military involvement in Iraq, particularly by escalating the United States military force presence in Iraq,' they believe that securing Speaker Pelosi the military plane pictured below . . . is in the national interest?”
Pelosi denies any impropriety.
“The only misrepresentations could be coming from the administration and one would only have to wonder why. . . . I know it's not coming from the president of the United States because he has impressed upon me over and over again the need for me to have the security that I need,” she said yesterday.
Pelosi and her aides said 12-seat Air Force jets – the kind that Republican former House Speaker Dennis Hastert used to get home to Illinois – can't get to California without refueling, a claim confirmed by the Air Force.
Pelosi also says that not flying commercial is a matter of personal and perhaps national security, as speaker she is second in line of succession to the presidency, after the vice president.
Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon said last night that the Defense Department has notified Pelosi in writing that she would have access to the same jet service as Hastert had.
“She will be offered shuttle service for no more than 10 passengers between Washington and San Francisco only based on aircraft availability,” Gordon said. “This does not guarantee nonstop transport.”
Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said the speaker's office was reviewing the letter. It's unclear whether the Defense Department's letter ends the issue or whether negotiations would continue.
