Pelosi mocks Perry debate suggestion

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) mocked Rick Perry’s suggestion that she debate him about his idea for a part-time Congress.

“He did ask if I could debate here in Washington on Monday — it is my understanding that such a letter has come in. Monday, I’m going to be in Portland in the morning, visiting some of our labs in California in the afternoon, that’s two … I can’t remember what the third thing is,” she said at her Thursday morning news conference to laughter.

Perry has called for a part-time “citizen Congress” rather than a full-time legislature, and in a letter to Pelosi’s office asked her to debate him on the issue next week, when he’ll be in Washington.

In response, Pelosi poked fun at Perry’s debate performance last week, when he couldn’t remember the name of the third government agency he wants to close.

It is highly unusual for a presidential candidate to request a debate with a House leader, and Perry’s Achilles’s Heel has been his debate performances.

Perry's campaign fired back at the Dem leader, writing on their official twitter account Thursday: "@NancyPelosi Perhaps the third activity that you have forgotten is the ongoing insider trading?"

The snap-back was in reference to a piece that ran on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday, which alleged that several lawmakers — Pelosi and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) were among those named —were getting rich by trading on information they only have access to by way of their positions — a congressional equivalent of "insider trading."

Perry released a web ad this week, calling for any lawmaker who commits insider trading to "be sent to jail, period."

-- This post was updated at 12:14 p.m.

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