Pelosi Brushes Off Questions on Stimulus Dissenter

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was dismissive of questions during a news conference Wednesday regarding whether or not the Obama administration encouraged a Democratic lawmaker to oppose the House’s $819 billion stimulus package.

“You know, I don’t talk about things I don’t know about, believe it or not,” Pelosi told reporters during her weekly news conference. “Any individual person’s agreement or disagreement or winks and nods that they think they received you are just going to have to talk to them about it.”

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) had said he received “quiet encouragement” from the White House to vote against the stimulus package. Cooper was one of 11 congressional Democrats to eventually vote against the package.

Cooper backtracked on his earlier statements Wednesday, saying “at no point” did the Obama administration encourage him to vote against the bill.

The Speaker appeared to banter with reporters asking questions about Cooper, according to a transcript of the news conference released Wednesday.

“Oh, you are talking about Jim Cooper. Jim Cooper of Tennessee? What a coincidence,” Pelosi responded to one reporter’s question.