WASHINGTON- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she will speak to the ethics committee investigating sexual misconduct allegations former Rep. Eric Massa if asked.
She took questions on the ethics probe and immigration legislation at her weekly press conference before sitting down to address a group of children in attendance for Take Your Daughters and Sons To Work Day.
In addition to her commitment to cooperate with the investigation, Pelosi stated her support for Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s plan to review congressional procedures for addressing sexual harassment allegations against congressional employees. Hoyer has said the the ethics committee, the House Administration Committee and the Office of Compliance should coordinate efforts to improve the system for reporting such allegations.
“I support it,” she said. “I support what he has done. Staff must participate in instruction on ethics.”
She also made clear her support of how the ethics investigation has proceeded so far, despite wide allegations that the reporting mechanism for misconduct allegations protects the accused.
“[I have] no concerns whatsoever,” she said. “I made myself available as I always will be do?? the ethics committee.”
Pelosi also said she supports President Barack Obama’s trip to New York City to discuss the financial reform bill and better regulate Wall Street executives who “personalized the gain for themselves and nationalized the risk for the taxpayer.”
She noted that if immigration reform legislation is passed by the Senate, she believes she has the votes to get it passed in the House.
Then it was the kids’ turn. Pelosi noted that the parents of many of the children in the room were journalists and gave them the chance to try their hand at their parents’ profession.
As the youngsters asked a series of questions including why so many people don’t like politics and why there are so many problems with the government, Pelosi said, “I’m getting the tenor of the dinner-table conversation. I guess this isn’t an appropriate time to talk about the previous administration.”
Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the House, told the children that she never thought she’d grow up to be the highest-ranking woman in Congress.
“When I was your age, I wanted to be a teenager,” she said. “And when I was a teenager I wanted to dance. Not professionally, just dance. I never wanted to run for office. What that goes to show you is you never know what opportunities might be there for you.”