When asked if she’ll miss resigning House Speaker John Boehner, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said it depends.
“It depends on what comes next,” Pelosi told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview set to air in full Sunday on “State of the Union.”
Pelosi, who has been the top House Democrat opposite Boehner at the negotiating table since Boehner took the helm of the House GOP caucus in 2007, called Boehner a “very fine person.”
Boehner announced Friday that he has decided to resign his seat in Congress effective Oct. 30.
“We can agree to disagree without being negative about each other. But, uh, yeah, I don’t know if I’ll miss him,” Pelosi said. “We just work. We barely have time for our close friends and some of our close friends are across the aisle.”
But as hardline conservatives within the House GOP caucus eye Boehner’s exit as an opportunity to install a new House speaker who will be more intransigent on conservative causes and less willing to compromise with Democrats, Boehner’s absence could also signal a more difficult legislative process for Democrats.
While Pelosi and Boehner have engaged in numerous partisan spats over the years, Boehner ultimately drew fire from tea party conservatives in his party who wanted him to take a harder line in negotiations with Democrats — believing that he was too quick to compromise.
Just a day before Boehner announced his resignation, the top House Democrat and Republican together enjoyed the visit of Pope Francis.
The two are both devout Catholics and Pelosi noted Boehner’s role in helping to organize the visit.
“He had his glorious moment with the Pope coming this week. He is a devout Catholic,” Pelosi said.