That's So 2021!

Among the first headlines of the new year is this one in the Washington Post: House Democrats begin preparing for the post-Pelosi era. The story says,

After almost 19 years as House Democratic leader, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) is expected to step down at the close of this Congress, ending a historic career. . .

The key phrase is "expected to step down", which is new. As of just last December 15, the headline on CNN was Pelosi will stay around to lead House Democrats through the next election -- and perhaps beyond.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi will stay until at least after the midterm elections, extending her nearly 20-year run as the House's top Democrat after she turns 82 and, perhaps, beyond.

She is planning to file and run for reelection in her San Francisco district next year -- at least for now -- in keeping with her pattern of deciding about staying in Congress after the elections, when she likely will have won an 18th full term.

And sources familiar with Pelosi's thinking say she isn't ruling out the possibility of trying to stay in leadership after 2022, despite her original vow to leave as the top House Democrat.

Sounds like things have changed in just a little over two weeks. Indeed, as of last Thanksgiving, the legacy media was gleefully fact-checking rumors that Speaker Pelosi had bought a $25 million retirement home in Florida.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi did not buy a $25 million mansion in Florida this week, contrary to claims circulating online.

. . . A spokesperson for Pelosi also told Reuters that the claims made online are fabricated.

“This is completely false,” Deputy Chief of Staff for Nancy Pelosi, Drew Hamill, told Reuters. “There’s no such pending sale nor is the family looking or interested.”

VERDICT

False. Nancy Pelosi did not buy a $25 million mansion in Florida this week. A realtor involved in the sale of the property told Reuters that the buyer is a local resident. The listing broker for the property also told Reuters Pelosi did not purchase the property.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.

It certainly looks like legacy media, with the Pelosi machine firmly behind them, was actively stamping out rumors of retirement up to just before the holidays, but now the official narrative seems to be changing.

Well, we're officially in 2022, the dreaded year of the midterms, and we're in a continued quiet constitutional crisis, with the speaker third in line if the president and vice president find themsleves no longer available.

For now, the speaker is the low hanging fruit.