Nancy Pelosi’s 10-Minute Appearance at a D.C. Restaurant Party Fires Up Critics

The specter of war hovers over the United States, and Nancy Pelosi detractors want to talk about where the House Speaker went out last night in D.C.

Pelosi drew criticism from Trump supporters on social media Tuesday when she was photographed attending an opening party for Maialino Mare, a Roman seafood spot in Navy Yard from NYC restaurant magnate Danny Meyer, while reports were spreading about an Iranian missile attack on U.S. troops in Iraq.

Washingtonian food editor Anna Spiegel tweeted a photo of Pelosi at the event about 15 minutes before Pelosi tweeted a response to news of the attack, leading to a flood of nasty comments and memes accusing the politician of neglecting her duties and drinking on the job. Spiegel published a subsequent message that said Pelosi was at the party for “all of 10 minutes” and was not drinking.

The photo of Pelosi at the event spread far enough to attract the attention of one of Pelosi’s Republican colleagues in the House. Liz Cheney — the Wyoming representative whose father used unsubstantiated claims over weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to lead America into war there in the first place — tweeted that Pelosi was “an embarrassment and unfit for office.”

Given Meyer’s fame and stature in the restaurant industry, the opening is one of the biggest D.C. will see this year. In addition to Pelosi, the party attracted D.C. philanthropists and society members like Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner and Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy III.

Carrying her momentum into today, Cheney appeared on Fox & Friends to criticize Pelosi’s response to the attack — no doubt looking to keep the spotlight on the Speaker as she determines when to send articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate.

• Inside Maialino Mare, Navy Yard’s Incoming Roman Seafood Spot From Danny Meyer [EDC]