House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi doled out some zingers and got mocked for her ‘frozen’ face by a Republican colleague at Tuesday night’s Washington Press Club Foundation’s annual Congressional Dinner.
The annual dinner brings journalists and lawmakers together with both Democrats and Republicans tapped to do some comedy.
During her bit, Pelosi, who recently filmed a cameo for RuPaul’s Drag Race, mused: ‘Do you think Mike Pence is allowed to dine alone with a man in drag?’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked a Washington audience Tuesday night: ‘Do you think Mike Pence is allowed to dine along with a man in drag?’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was one of the four lawmakers who performed stand-up at the annual Washington Press Club Foundation’s annual Congressional Dinner
Retiring Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen quipped that the legislative process is ‘as frozen as Nancy Pelosi’s face’
The quip was inspired by a 2002 interview Pence did with the Hill, in which he said he never eats alone with a woman other than his wife and doesn’t attend events with alcohol without her.
Talking about how she played a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race Pelosi added, ‘I’ve got to say it was a lot of fun to see the look of panic on Mitch McConnell’s eyes when I was told I was being named a judge,’ she said to laughs.
Vice President Mike Pence told the Hill in 2002 that he doesn’t go to dine with a woman without his wife present, nor does he attend events with alcohol sans Karen Pence
The top Democrat also referenced the news of the day, that Trump’s top economic adviser Gary Cohn was departing over the president’s announcement of tariffs.
Pelosi reminded the audience that Cohn almost quit his White House gig, after Trump’s missteps in how he handled the racial violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last summer.
‘I guess he finally got some steel in his spine,’ she said, with some in the audience audibly groaning.
Pelosi, of course, picked on President Trump too.
‘Donald Trump is actually a teetotaler, he doesn’t drink,’ the top House Democrat said.
‘Which is funny, because he sure seems to like his White Russians,’ Pelosi joked.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was wounded at last summer’s Congressional baseball practice shooting outside of Washington, gave props to CNN for his ‘speedy recovery.’
During his set, Rep. Steve Scalise, who was shot during Congressional baseball practice last year, said ‘when CNN is the only channel available at the hospital it’s amazing how quickly you can recover’
‘When CNN is the only channel available at the hospital it’s amazing how quickly you can recover,’ he told the crowd.
Scalise explained that people often ask him if he would want to go back in time, before the day he was shot.
‘And I tell them I don’t have to, I just turn on Fox News and it’s like going back to 2016 again,’ the Republican lawmaker said. ‘I think we’re still looking for Hillary’s emails.’
He also took a turn dinging Pelosi.
‘Nancy, it’s always great to break bread with you. I promise next time not to leave so many crumbs,’ he joked.
Republicans have had a field day with Pelosi, a multi-millionaire in her own right, calling the savings Americans have received from the GOP tax plan ‘crumbs.’
Pelosi was making the point that average Americans’ gains were slim pickings compared to the corporate tax breaks Republicans inserted in the bill.
Retiring Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen had the most fun with Pelosi, delivering her roast with the top Democrat sitting next to her.
Sen. Chris Coons suggested President Trump may start backing criminal justice reform ‘once Don Jr. tells him just how bad prison is’
‘Let’s be serious – it’s tough to win legislation in Congress,’ she began. ‘Many times, the process is as frozen as Nancy Pelosi’s face.’
‘I’m kidding,’ the Republican congresswoman added. ‘But sometimes her happy and her angry face, they’re pretty similar.’
Taking on the broader Republican Party, Ros-Lehtinen pointed out she started the wave of GOP lawmakers retiring from Congress.
‘It’s really the first time I’ve been accused of being a trend-setter,’ she said.
‘Republicans haven’t deserted something this fast since Jeb Bush ran for president!’ she joked.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, was last up at bat, and took a swing at Ros-Lehtinen during his set.
‘When you were 7-years-old, Ileana, you fled Cuba to escape the regime of a narcissistic, deluded, megalomaniac,’ Coons began.
‘And today … you know, life is funny like that,’ Coons jabbed.
The Democrat did think President Trump may reconsider some of his decisions in office thus far.
‘Once the rising seas hit Mar-a-Lago, we might get back into that Paris Agreement,’ Coons said.
‘And once Don Jr. tells him just how bad prison is, we might finally see criminal justice reform,’ Coons added.