U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is now trying to claim that she was not directly involved in the effort to get President Joe Biden to give up his reelection campaign. 

Pelosi made the claim during a recent interview with CBS.

This comes after reports that Pelosi was one of the pivotal players who forced Biden to give up his reelection campaign.

“I did not call one person.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks with Lesley Stahl about her role in President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the presidential race. https://t.co/BtvgDUKdYf pic.twitter.com/cnJ8ywR5sU

— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) August 3, 2024

The accusation

The New York Post provides the relevant background, writing, "Pelosi’s behind-the-scenes machinations during the outpour of Democrats calling on Biden, 81, have been widely reported. She has long had a reputation for being a savvy and ruthless political operative."

The outlet continues, "At one point, Pelosi firmly told Biden that he couldn’t win the Nov. 5 election and when he suggested polls indicated he could pull it off, she had him put his longtime adviser Mike Donilon on the phone, CNN reported."

Not only that, but the Post further notes that, "Given her standing as one of the longest-serving leaders of congressional Democrats, she was seen by some as giving her colleagues the green light to cast aspersions on Biden’s fitness for a second term."

Pelosi's denial

Now, Pelosi is essentially pleading "not guilty" to the charge of forcing Biden to withdraw.

"No, I wasn’t the leader of any pressure [campaign]," Pelosi told CBS.

She added, "Let me say things that I didn’t do: I didn’t call one person. I did not call one person. I could always say to him, ‘I never called anybody.' He knows that I love him very much."

Pelosi refused to make any further comment on the situation.

Pelosi runs for cover

The classic way to show that you were not involved in someone's removal is to express your admiration for that individual. This is exactly what Pelosi tried to do during the interview.

"He was in a good place to make whatever decision – the top of his game - Such a consequential president of the United States, a Mount Rushmore kind of president of the United States," Pelosi said of Biden.

When asked whether she was serious about putting Biden on Mount Rushmore, she said, "Well, you got Teddy Roosevelt up there, and he's wonderful. I don't say take him down. But you can add Biden."