Was Nancy Pelosi uninvited from Obama's birthday bash? Speaker claims she had 'other parties'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was spotted at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts on Sunday, August 8. However, she wasn't one of the many attendees at Barack Obama's 60th birthday party. That tidbit was confirmed by none other than Pelosi herself, who told a visiting lawyer, "I didn't go. I had other parties to go to."
The ex-president's birthday bash has been surrounded by controversy since details first emerged weeks ago. As we reported on August 2, the initial guest list had around 500 attendees, violating CDC guidelines. Days later, after much criticism, a spokesperson said it would be "scaled back" to include “only family and close friends". As we know, that was far from the case. Numerous celebs were spotted at the island ahead of the event and videos and photos from the party show some of the stars having a grand time.
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Pelosi was one of those on the initial guest list, but reportedly uninvited when Obama was forced to scale things down. Nonetheless, she was spotted in Martha's Vineyard, attending St Elizabeth's Church in Edgartown. To her, it didn't seem like a big deal that she didn't go to Obama's bash.
Was Pelosi disinvited?
Judging by the evidence, that does seem to be the case. "To be her, the most powerful woman in Congress, and not even go to his party? I find that hilarious," Connecticut lawyer Kevin Blake told The Daily Mail. Blake and his wife posed for a photo with Pelosi after bumping into her outside the church on August 8. That's when Pelosi told him she didn't go. She still had business on the island though, as the Mail noted Pelosi was there to attend a dinner in her honor later that day. An aide said she was there to attend "private events in support of House Democrats."
It's unclear why Pelosi was cut from the guest list, given the fact "she's the one carrying forward his (Obama's) agenda." However, the move didn't seem to bother her at all. A source told the Mail that Pelosi was dining with Oprah Winfrey at the elite Vineyard Havens Country Club on August 7 afternoon. That's when Obama ran into the duo, while he was golfing at the club. It's unclear what transpired, but the source said Obama approached the duo's table for a "terse" meeting. Beyond that, she was spotted in relatively high spirits and even appeared to be smiling (behind her mask) in the photo with Blake.
She may have been given a last-minute invite, but Pelosi wasn't spotted at the bash later that night. The Mail showed celebs like Bradley Cooper, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Stephen Colbert, and more in and around Martha's Vineyard that weekend. Despite being scaled back, there seemed to be a lot of star power at Obama's property, but very few politicians. We know Pelosi wasn't there, but it's unclear if any other House or Senate Dems made the trip. Surprisingly, President Joe Biden didn't attend either, despite being known to be close friends with Obama.
The weekend-long celebrations kicked off with a cocktail party on Friday night, August 6, at the Winnetu Resort. The three-hour party was followed by a bigger bash at the Obama property on Martha's vineyard, where tents were erected for the day. Preparations for the massive event had reportedly lasted a week, even after it was reported to be scaled back.