Pelosi’s office rejects ‘nonsense’ report she wants to be Ambassador to Italy if GOP win
Nancy Pelosi‘s office is pushing back on the ‘utter nonsense’ report that the Speaker will abandon her House leadership role to be U.S. Ambassador to Italy if Republicans take a majority after the 2022 midterms.
‘The Speaker has no interest in this position and has not discussed it with anyone in the White House,’ Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill told DailyMail.com
A Monday report claims that Pelosi, 82, has no interest in returning to a minority leader role in Congress.
According to Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, sources claim President Joe Biden is holding onto the U.S. ambassador to Italy assignment for Pelosi.
‘This is the second time Maria Bartiromo has proceeded with reporting anonymous rumors about the Speaker’s future that have no merit,’ Hammill accused.
‘And the second time she has failed to ask us for comment before airing or publishing this utter nonsense.’
But an email obtained by DailyMail.com shows Bartiromo did reach out to Pelosi’s Press Secretary Joy Lee Monday evening to request comment on the topic.
The White House refused to comment on the report, telling DailyMail.com: ‘We don’t engage in hypotheticals.’
It’s not unusual for presidents to reserve cushy ambassadorship roles for those who helped propel them to the White House.
Villa Taverna, the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Rome, Italy, is a grand mansion.
The seven acres of grounds include a pool, tennis court and private gardens, while the estate boasts a three-story wine cellar.
Nancy Pelosi’s office is pushing back on a report that President Joe Biden is holding his Italian ambassadorship pick for the Speaker if the GOP retakes a majority in the House in the 2022 midterms. Pelosi is pictured September 1, 2022 speaking to members of the press in Atlanta
The U.S. ambassador to Italy is a cushy post and includes a residence at Villa Taverna, which is a luxurious seven-bedroom, seven-acre estate in Rome, Italy
The grounds include a swimming pool, tennis court, movie theater and three-story wine cellar
Pelosi attended the Independence Day celebration at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Rome on July 1, 2022
Pelosi was pictured during the summer recess vacationing in Italy.
She visited the Pope during her trip as well as lounged on the beach at opera star Andrea Bocelli’s luxury Alpemare Beach Club in Tuscany along with her husband Paul Pelosi, who at the time was still awaiting trial for his DUI charge.
The desirable ambassador post in Italy could finally be filled by Pelosi if Democrats lose their majority in the House in the 2022 midterm elections, which remains the likely outcome.
Pelosi has served as a representative for California since 1987 when she won a special election – and has held various leadership roles in her caucus since then before ascending to Speaker.
An image shows a party in the gardens of Villa Taverna for an Independence Day celebration July 2019
An ambassador role requires Senate confirmation, and there is no sign of how the upper chamber would react to the nomination – especially if it were to come right after losing her Speakership role.
Biden has already had 101 of his ambassadorship posts confirmed by the Senate.
He remains, however, slow to name his picks for ambassador to several countries, including Italy.
Pelosi was pictured vacationing in Italy during Congress’ summer recess this year. The Speaker donned a blow v-neck swimsuit and white covered up set as she walked along the beach in Italy in July
Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi (right) were visiting Andrea Bocelli (left) and his wife Veronica Berti (second from left) at the opera star’s Alpemare Beach Club in Tuscany, Italy
The Italian vacation included going to mass at the Vatican. Nancy and Paul meet Pope Francis (left) for the morning Mass marking the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul on June 29, 2022
Of the 197 ambassador positions, there are still 27 percent without a Senate-confirmed official.
Speculation earlier this year pointed to the post going to a Pelosi ally and former Wall Street executive who wanted the ambassador role.
That has shifted, however, with the increasing likelihood that the red wave shows true and Republicans retake a majority in the House.
An Office of the Inspector General 2010 report estimated the combined value of the residence and the embassy compound in Rome is anywhere from ‘$500 million to $1 billion.’
Villa Taverna is a whopping 31,750 square feet and has seven bedrooms, each with a private loggia – or balcony.
It is situated in one of Rome’s most central, exclusive and desired neighborhoods.