The confrontation between the top of the Democrats and Republicans in the US House of Representatives is gradually slipping into a personal war. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called the top Republican in the Chamber of Congress, Kevin McCarthy, an "idiot" on Wednesday. McCarthy had previously criticized on Twitter that in view of the increasing number of corona cases, masks had to be worn again in the Congress Chamber. This decision is not based on science, but is a political decision by liberal forces who want to live in a permanent pandemic state, he said.
When Pelosi was approached by journalists on Wednesday about McCarthy's statement, she said as she left: "He's such an idiot." This could be heard on several video clips of journalists from the scene.
A senior Pelosis employee wrote on Twitter that the recording could not be verified due to poor sound quality.
But he can confirm that Pelosi thinks it is "idiotic" to claim that the decision to wear masks again is not based on science.
"That was my comment"
Pelosi himself described such a statement as "not wise" and emphasized: "That was my comment." She will not say more about it.
Political tensions between Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives - particularly between Pelosi and McCarthy - have increased significantly in recent months.
Most recently, a dispute between them over an investigative body into the attack on the US Capitol on January 6th had escalated.
Personal insults were the order of the day in US politics under former Republican President Donald Trump.
Pelosi has always sharply criticized such verbal attacks and boasted of her own standards of decency and manners.