MSNBC host Jen Psaki took Democrats to task this week for passing over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for the top Democratic spot on the House Oversight Committee.
Psaki, 46, argued that Democrats missed a “big opportunity” to implement some of the key takeaways from the 2024 election by snubbing the 35-year-old, “media-savvy” congresswoman.
“Instead, they chose Congressman Gerry Connolly, a much older member who was backed by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi,” , the former Biden administration White House press secretary said during a recent broadcast of MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”
“Why does that matter?” she continued. “This is one of the few committees in Congress that actually generates national attention or media coverage. Under Jamie Raskin, it became a critical platform for countering Republican misinformation. And while I have deep, deep respect for Speaker Pelosi… and nothing against Congressman Connolly at all, this felt like an obvious chance to apply some of the lessons we should’ve learned from the November election.”
“Instead, Democrats passed over one of the youngest, most media-savvy members of Congress for a key public leadership role,” she declared.
Connolly, a 74-year-old Virginia Democrat, defeated the “Squad” rep last week in a 131-84 vote to become ranking member on the high-profile panel – which will be tasked with handling oversight of the incoming Trump administration.
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who challenged President Biden in the 2024 Democratic primaries, has recently criticized the party for dismissing younger Democrats in favor of more seasoned blue party members.
“It is time to elevate the best and brightest,” Phillips said, according to Fox News. “We have literally kept them from ascending to leadership positions, which means they go elsewhere. And when we lose that kind of talent of ambitious, competent, patriotic young Americans, we’re in trouble.”
Meanwhile, Connolly argued that the old versus young debate was a “false narrative, frankly, propounded by the media.”
Pelosi (D-Calif.), 84, reportedly launched a behind-the-scenes effort to “tank” Ocasio-Cortez’s bid days before the Dec. 17 vote, according to Punchbowl News.
The former House speaker had been “making calls” urging Democrats to support Connolly over the younger New York Democrat, the outlet reported earlier this month.
“Pelosi whipped votes to make sure that Connolly got the Oversight job over the young star in the party, even as the 84-year-old Pelosi is recovering from hip surgery after suffering a fall. It feels like a moment of genuine madness,” MSNBC’s Chris Hayes said of the former speaker’s lobbying campaign.
MSNBC host Joy Reid similarly criticized the results of the oversight panel vote.
“[The] gerontocracy seems like it’s intractable,” she said. “I recall when Barack Obama was elected, he kind of pushed aside the DNC and created his own organization because I think there is a frustration with the sort of creaky way the DNC operates.”
