Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee because she won "an open primary," according to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee after his disastrous June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump.
The vice president officially became the nominee, without receiving any votes during a primary election, during a virtual roll call ballot organized by the Democratic National Committee in August.
Pelosi, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reportedly were among the Democrats who joined donors and celebrities — such as actor George Clooney — in forcing Biden to end his reelection campaign.
In June, Politico reported Pelosi stressed the need for an open process to choose the party's next nominee if Biden stepped aside in an effort to avoid the appearance of a Harris coronation.
However, the former speaker endorsed Harris soon after Biden announced his decision.
Semafor's Kadia Goba asked Pelosi whether she had reevaluated her initial position on the Democratic Party nomination. The former speaker then went into spin mode.
"I didn't change my mind. We had an open primary, and she won it," Pelosi insisted. "Nobody else got in the race because she was politically astute and that was the thought."
When Goba attempted to comment, appearing to say "Well …" Pelosi interjected.
"Let's show our talent," Pelosi said. "We have a great bench, all these great people in the country … and the president endorsed her, and that's a big deal because Joe Biden is the most consequential president of modern times. He accomplished so much more."
Pelosi later repeated the claim that there was an open primary.
"It wasn't that we didn't have an open process," Pelosi said. "It's just that nobody got in because she had a running start."
Biden won the Democratic Party presidential primary, receiving 87.09% of the vote with 14,465,519 votes.
The Daily Mail reported last month that Pelosi threatened to go public with her concerns about Biden's candidacy, forcing the president to end his reelection bid.
Biden's surprising withdrawal came after Pelosi sent word that she prepared to go public with her concerns that he could not defeat Trump in November, the outlet said.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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