Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich Thursday said the latest salvo from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of attacking her and three other freshman lawmakers as "women of color" was a "classic comment by the hard left," but Pelosi must realize she's the "grandmother" in the growing conflict.
"Everything becomes either an attack on women, but since Pelosi is a woman, it has to be women of color," Gingrich told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "The key thing here is very simple. We have now seen a group of genuine radicals who are way outside any reasonable position, and their public spokesperson is AOC."
On Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, told The Washington Post that she thinks Pelosi is singling out her, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. Because they are all women of color.
Pelosi, during a press briefing on Thursday, refused questions about the growing discord and rejected Ocasio-Cortez's claim.
"We respect the value of every member of our caucus," she said. "The diversity of it all is a wonderful thing. Diversity is our strength, unity is our power."
Gingrich said the new Congress members have a "deep, bitter difference" with Pelosi, an "old-time liberal" who represents the establishment they want to fight.
Gingrich said he respects Pelosi but should recognize the difference in ages in Congress.
"Nancy Pelosi has to recognize -- and I recognize my own age -- that she is the grandmother," said Gingrich. "She is yelling at these young members, and they are here thinking you are two generations older than me. Why am I supposed to listen to you?"
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.