Copyright 2006 Roll Call, Inc.
Roll Call

December 5, 2006 Tuesday

SECTION: HEARD ON THE HILL

LENGTH: 686 words

BYLINE: Mary Ann Akers, ROLL CALL STAFF

BODY:


Her First Decent Act as Speaker. Even though she's taking his job, at least Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) isn't kicking her predecessor, poor Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), to the curb.

No, he won't be moving into some crappy Cannon House Office Building

space when he turns over the Speaker's gavel to Pelosi and slinks into the minority in January.

A well-placed GOP source says that Pelosi, in a random act of bipartisan kindness that will surely irk Members on both sides of the aisle, has decided to reward Hastert with the plush and coveted Capitol office suite now held by retiring Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.).

In other words, while Hastert won't have a balcony any more, he still will enjoy a gorgeous view of the National Mall, courtesy of Pelosi.

Pelosi made the hush-hush agreement to give H-163 and H-164 to the outgoing Speaker, our source says - essentially "rewarding the person who had the most to do with making her Speaker."

Neither Pelosi's office nor Hastert's office would comment on the supposed move. But expect some major complaints to be lodged by other Members of the leadership of both parties, and maybe even a reshuffling of Hastert to a more, shall we say, pedestrian office space.