House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi is planning swearing-in festivities fit for a queen – or a president – when she becomes the first woman to hold the top job in Congress next year, The Post has learned.
The two-day extravaganza, beginning Jan. 3, features a “women’s tea,” cocktails and dinner at the Italian Embassy (she’s of Italian descent), a swearing-in brunch with a view of the ceremony, plus a concert and reception in her honor.
But that’s not all – those are just the events planned by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Pelosi’s office is planning a slew of other events, but won’t reveal the details.
“We have a lot of interest in people who are interested in the first woman speaker,” said Pelosi’s communications director, Jennifer Crider.
Some Democratic donors are also invited to a reception in Pelosi’s stunning new offices – which she intends to take over from outgoing Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Republicans used the suite in the past even when Democrats controlled the House.
The grand festivities aren’t unprecedented – Newt Gingrich had similar galas when Republicans took control of the House in January 1995.
But the big day underscores the fact that multimillionaire Pelosi sees herself as the No. 1 Democrat in Washington and the chief spokesman against President Bush – the role that Gingrich took on in 1995 against Bill Clinton.
Insisting on the star role on Capitol Hill could put Pelosi in competition for the spotlight with other leading women, like Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) Some Democratic insiders say the prime reason that Pelosi is refusing to allow fellow California Rep. Jane Harman to chair the House Intelligence Committee is that she’s jealous because Harman has gotten so much TV time as a committee member.
Instead, Pelosi is said to be intent on installing ethics-challenged Rep. Alcee Hastings (DFla.), who was impeached and kicked out of office as a federal judge.
That has sparked a revolt among some Democrats and, sources say, private protests from some women’s groups, as well as Harman’s fellow moderates.
Pelosi has already raised eyebrows by her heavy-handed and unsuccessful bid to force House Democrats to accept anti-war Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) as her top deputy.