Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) response to the sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) shows that the party needs new leadership.
During an interview on BuzzFeed’s “AM to DM” morning show, Moulton was asked about Pelosi’s initial response to the Conyers’s allegations.
“It’s the sense that it’s more important to protect people in their positions or give people positions because of seniority or power … rather than giving good people leadership because they’ve earned it,” Moulton said.
{mosads}”I mean, at the end of the day, this just wasn’t leadership that we saw from our Democratic party leaders, and that’s why I’m calling for a new generation of leaders in our party,” he said.
Moulton called Pelosi an “extraordinary woman” who has achieved a great deal. But he said he thinks there’s a time and place for everything.
“And I think it’s time for a new generation of leaders,” he said.
Moulton, earlier this year, emerged as a fervent critic of Pelosi, questioning her ability to effectively lead the caucus. After the Democrats lost a special election for the House in Georgia, Moulton called for new leadership.
During the interview, Moulton was also asked whether he thought Conyers and Rep. Ruben Kihuen (D-Nev.), who has also been accused of sexual misconduct, should resign.
Moulton said “they probably should” but said he didn’t want to get into the details of the cases because it “distracts from the larger issue.”
A spokesperson for Pelosi responded to BuzzFeed, saying, “Being a strong leader means making tough calls like asking your colleagues to leave Congress. Hurling petty insults in order to get booked on TV isn’t leadership at all.”
Pelosi last month came under fire after she referred to Conyers as an “icon” with a long history of championing legislation “to protect women.” She also said Conyers deserved “due process.”
Pelosi later took a stronger stance and called for Conyers to resign from his post as the allegations of sexual misconduct have mounted against him.