The Latest: Pelosi says she won’t be lame duck as speaker

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Latest on House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (all times local):

12:15 p.m.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi says she doesn’t feel constricted by an agreement that clears the way for her to become House speaker next year in exchange for agreeing to hold the post for no more than four additional years.

The California Democrat told reporters Thursday that four years is a long time.

The 78-year-old Pelosi agreed Wednesday to a limit her service in the House’s top job. By doing that, she won over insurgent Democrats who’ve wanted to clear the way for younger leadership.

She’d spent weeks resisting a time limit, saying she didn’t want to lose clout.

Asked if she felt the agreement would make her a lame duck, Pelosi says, “What, four years? No, I don’t think that’s a lame duck.”

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12:30 a.m.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi appears to have sealed her return as House speaker when the new Congress convenes next month.

The California Democrat won over several rebellious Democrats on Wednesday by agreeing to limit her tenure to no more than four years. That pledge immediately drew the support of seven of her critics.

Not only will Pelosi be second in line to the presidency as House speaker, she will be the government’s highest-ranking Democrat and assume a leading role in confronting President Donald Trump for the second half of his term.

The question of whether Pelosi would be elected speaker has distracted attention from Democrats’ 2019 agenda focusing on health care, jobs and wages, and infrastructure projects. They also are expected to investigate Trump, his presidential campaign and his administration.

The Associated Press

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